Aftermath
by Spartan-Guy 88
Summary: What happened to the gang in between the final battle in Gongmen City and their return to the Valley of Peace? Hilarity, romance, and friendship moments ensue. SPOILERS FOR KUNG FU PANDA 2. Read and Review!
1. Closure

A/N: Hello there fellow readers and writers. I've seen Kung Fu Panda 2 about a week and a half ago as of the time of me writing this, and I loved it just as much as the first movie. It had three great things every animated movie should have in my opinion: Great artwork, a more personal story, and great character development. This mini-series is my version of bridging the gap between after the final battle and the gang returning to the Valley of Peace; which will in turn set the stage for any future stories I'll have until KFP3 comes out whenever that will be.

There will be four arcs, involving the characters we all know and love. Some stories will be emotional, others laugh out loud funny. Two of them will be romance stories; but neither are Po X Tigress (sorry TiPo fans, but I'm still not sure how to write them yet. I am a huge fan of the pairing never-the-less). But I'll do my best on them, being that I've always been more of a comedy writer than an emotional or romance writer. Finally, one of the stories will be a five-part parody of another movie that came out the same day KFP2 came out. Here's a hint: Think of another kind of wolfpack…XD

_EDIT: _Okay, I went and saw the movie a second time, and I did notice something in the ending of the movie that I didn't notice before: Po still had his old stuffed toy with him when he was at Mr. Ping's restaruant. So... my story had a bit of a continuity error. My bad. So I'm replacing the leaving of the toy and replacing it with something that's also touching. And I was notified that I had scattered my tenses, either in the past or present; so I fixed that too.

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE KUNG FU PANDA SERIES IN ANY WAY, THAT JOB GOES TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS OF DREAMWORKS. ANY CHARACTER THAT IS NOT PART OF THE CANON KFP UNIVERSE BELONGS TO ME, AS WELL AS THE STORIES.**

_**SPOILER ALERT: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR KUNG FU PANDA 2. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE NEW MOVIE YET THEN DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING STORIES UNTIL YOU DO! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…**_

**Spartan-Guy 88 Presents:**

**AFTERMATH**

Chapter One: Closure

The battle was over. Lord Shen has been killed during the final battle, Gongmen City has been liberated, those terrible weapons that have taken the life of the late Master Thundering Rhino and nearly taken the lives of the Dragon Warrior, the Furious Five, Grand Master Shifu, and Masters Croc and Storming Ox have been destroyed, and China has been saved from the peacock's plans for domination.

As for the Wolf Boss and the surviving members of his pack, the minor wolves have surrendered and the Wolf Boss would make a recovery from Shen's blade. Apparently, Shen was so desperate and crazed to kill Po and his comrades that he missed the vital parts of his neck when he threw the blade. To everyone's astonishment, the Wolf Boss said that when he goes to trial for the war crimes he and his pack committed, he said he would plead guilty and accept whatever punishment the courts would give him. He explained how Shen ordered him to fire the cannon at his own troops to kill the warriors, as well as how the wolf leader refused to follow that order. He then went on to say that while he was loyal to the deranged peacock, his loyalty to his pack came even before that. Tigress told him that while it was admirable to protect his pack, it wasn't going to excuse him for the various other crimes they committed and that they will have to answer for it; the Wolf Boss replied that he wasn't surprised.

He and his men were placed in the prison the Jade Palace warriors found Croc and Storming Ox in until, two days later, a regiment of the Imperial Army arrived to take them into custody, as well as act as a temporary security force until everything can be sorted in the city; for there were certainly looters and vandals taking advantage of Shen's defeat to suit their own purposes. Speaking of said regiment, the leading general, a lion named General Hao, was warmly greeted by Shifu, and Hao was thrilled to see him. The red panda explained that Hao was also a student of the late Grand Master Oogway along with Shifu in their younger days, and were very close friends. After introductions were made, General Hao relayed a message from the Emperor, saying that the Lord of Ten-Thousand Years gave his most sincere apologies for not reacting fast enough to provide assistance; and also gave his thanks for stopping what could have very well have been the end of his dynasty, and the warriors were all in his and the Empire's debt.

The kung fu warriors were all treated for their injuries, with the city doctors ordering Tigress at least three days of bed rest and Crane refraining from flying until his burnt wing could fully heal from its burn. But just as they were getting ready to assist in cleaning up the wreckage in both the harbor and the ruins of the destroyed palace, Hao told them that he and his soldiers would take care of it with help from many of the city's workers; stating that they've already gone through enough to save the city and the country, and to take a well deserved break.

No one complained about it in the slightest. For a certain panda warrior however, it gave him ample time to do something more personal. Feeling the need to let all of his closest friends know what it was that he learned in his absence, Po took the Five and Shifu to a private room and told them the story of his parents, and what Shen did to them and all the other pandas killed in his genocide. Needless to say, they were all shocked and horrified beyond belief. It was as though he could see the other revelation he realized when he learned the truth: That up to first meeting the would be Dragon Warrior, they have not met a single panda in their travels. Po reassures them that he had already come to terms with his dark past, knowing that if his parents didn't sacrifice themselves to save him, he would never have become the Dragon Warrior, the son of a noodle chef, and have six of the greatest friends… no… six of the brothers and sisters he never had. He then received more hugs and pat on the backs from them all, albeit less energetic than after the defeat of Lord Shen.

However, Po then says that even though he had attained Inner Peace through his past, he still felt that he needed additional closure from it all, and that the best way he can do that was to go back over to the area that was once his village and give a proper ceremony in honor of his parents and the other pandas killed in the massacre. The others had no objection to his plan, but also asked if they could accompany him for that ceremony, which he immediately agreed to. Po had asked Croc, Storming Ox, and the Soothsayer if they would like to join him and his comrades; but they politely declined, saying that they had to make preparations for a memorial service of their own. Indeed, they had already removed the hammer that once belonged to Master Thundering Rhino and had planned on giving him a proper burial service within a day or two.

So, it was one day after the regiment arrived to Gongmen City, that Po, the Furious Five, and Grand Master Shifu all set off for the panda warrior's former village; with a cart containing what they would need for their service. Po also carried something in a bag that was strapped onto his back. What it was his bag contained, the others didn't know, but he explained that they would find out soon enough.

For about two hours they all walked in silence until they finally arrived at the destroyed village. Stopping in front of what was once his family's house, Po took a deep breath, then turned and nodded towards the others; the silent signal for getting to work. Taking the tarp off of the cart; Po, Tigress, Monkey, and Shifu took out several wooden pillars and shovels. Together, they dug up a reasonable hole, and then planted the wooden pillars into place. Then, Mantis and Viper took out a medium sized tablet and placed it onto the pillars with help from Tigress. The tablet read:

"_In loving memory of those who have moved on to a better place."_

Crane then placed a picture containing the characters: Peace, Harmony, and Love; onto the pillar below the tablet.

Finally, Po took out two incense sticks, lit them, and placed them onto a holder which he then in turn placed onto the ground. After a brief but thoughtful prayer to the gods, Po then stepped forward to the memorial site and began talking to the air around him, as though his deceased parents were listening in to their service.

"Uh, hey. It's me… all grown up. We never really had time to talk and stuff, mainly because I had more urgent things to deal with at the time. So uhm… here we go then."

" How uh… how have you guys been up to? I'm sure the afterlife is treating you well; I heard it's got a nice vacation plan…" he joked; "As for me? I'm several things now; two of the most important are being the apprentice of a well known noodle chef in the Valley of Peace, and the other is the Dragon Warrior. Yes, THE DRAGON WARRIOR. Pretty awesome, eh?" Po said, allowing himself to smile.

Po then lost his smile, but remained composed as he then continued; "Look, I'm not sure if you've heard or not, but that peacock, Shen… he's dead. But I assure you it wasn't by my paws; during our last fight, he attacked me and I stayed on the defensive. He eventually cut the ropes holding up his main cannon and it fell on top of him. There's no way he could have survived that." He takes another breath; "I'm going to admit, a part of me did want to kill him for what he's done. To you two and all the other pandas he's killed."

Po paused, then continued; "But all the other parts of me reminded myself that I wasn't going to stoop to his level; and that I'm not a murderer. Yes, I have taken lives; but that's only because they gave me no other choice, not because they were simply in my way."

"And despite what he did, I refuse to believe that I'm the last of my kind. I just know that has got to be other pandas out there, somewhere in China. I'll find them, and I'll bring them here so they can pay their respects to you. I know him dying isn't going to bring either one of you back, but at least you guys and everyone else can finally rest in peace."

The panda then stepped up to the monument, closed his eyes, and placed a paw onto it.

He then added, "Mom, Dad; I will always miss you both, and I wish I got to know you both better. But I'm going to do what I'm sure you'd want me to do: Not dwell on it and move on with my life."

Po opened his eyes, took his paw off of the monument, and stepped back. He sighed once more, and concluded, "Well… I guess I'll see ya when I see ya."

The panda turned around to see the Five and Shifu, all with soft and understanding looks on their faces. Tigress then stepped forward and placed her paw on his shoulder; where she then said in a quiet voice, "That was a beautiful speech Po."

Po gave her a small smile, then turned to the others and said to her and them, "Come on; let's get back to the city." And with that Po led the way, back the way they came, never looking back, having finally put the past behind him.

Yet as they walked back to Gongmen City, an hour later, Po was several steps ahead of everyone else. They could all sense that his mind was going through many thoughts. No one said a word; the whole trip back seemed a lot longer than the trip to the destroyed village.

Eventually, Po slowly came to a stop and kept staring forward. Everyone was on edge, ready to rush forward in case their friend would collapse and have an emotional break-down on the spot. So it was unexpected when Po turned around and walked towards them while taking the bag off of his back.

"Hey guys, there's something else I want to show you. I actually bought this before we got that message about the takeover of the city. I was going to show you then, but then we had to set out on the mission so… yeah. I say we test this bad boy out when we get back to our suite." He untied the straps on the bag and reached in to grab whatever was in there. "Alright guys, you ready for this?" They all nodded, and he pulled out a large, rectangular box that read:

**THE JADE PALACE WARRIORS: THE ROLE PLAYING GAME**

**Want to have your own adventure with the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five? Now you can!**

**Fight bandits, pirates, warlords, and more in the comfort of your own home!**

**You'll be playing for hours to come!**

Po looked excitedly up back at his friends for a reaction. They were all so flabbergasted at his sudden change in attitude; yet at the same time they all had relieved looks as well, for now it was confirmed that he had put his past behind and went back to being that kid-at-heart, goofball panda they all came to love like a brother.

Despite the levity of everything that had just happened, it was Crane who broke the silence in a deadpan tone, "Okay… now I KNOW we're over-rated."

A/N: And there you have it! The first chapter done. Let me tell you guys something, watching KFP2 is what I needed to get back into writing for this series again. And I am very much aware that in the surprise ending to the second movie that Po' biological father is still alive; but keep in mind that this was in Po's POV; which means that he's unaware of that revelation. I'm sure it'll have a huge influence in the third movie.

One thing I really liked about the Po's Past storyline in the sequel was that when he finally found out the truth about his parents and Shen's role in it was that the guys at Dreamworks didn't send him down the easily predictable path and have him try to avenge his parents' death then at the last second realize that killing him won't bring him peace. But instead he (with help from the Soothsayer) came to realize that what happened in the past, no matter how bad it may have been, doesn't matter anymore, and there's nothing he can do to change it. And he also comes to see that he's already got a great life as the Dragon Warrior and the son of a noodle chef who had the heart to adopt him as his own son. I really liked that they did that. It's also a great example of what Oogway said in the first film:

"Yesterday is history; Tomorrow is a mystery; and Today is a gift… that's why they call it the Present."

**Next time on Aftermath:** While playing with Po's new board game, Crane learns that an old friend of his from his own early years has arrived at Gongmen City. What will transpire between the two?

REVIEW PLEASE!


	2. Reunion Part 1

A/N: And hello once again readers! Welcome to another fun and exciting addition to the Aftermath mini-series! I really appreciate all the feedback I've gotten so far. In this episode, Crane is reunited with an old friend of his. Will there be sparks between him and his friend? Read and find out!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KUNG FU PANDA. ONLY THE NON-CANON CHARACTERS AND STORIES.**

**AFTERMATH**

Chapter Two: Reunion

PART 1 OF 2

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Nope, I'm afraid not buddy. If it's in writing, then it's official."

"I seriously doubt that."

"You mean like how you still doubt that you did in fact make that 'ka-kaw' noise during that battle?"

"Read my beak: I. Did. Not. Make. That. Noise."

Mantis then interrupted the debate from across the table, "Are you brats quite done arguing with each other? Because some of us would like to get back to playing this game!"

Crane glared at the insect and responded, "Who said you guys could stop playing? I'm just trying to clear something up while I wait for my turn."

It had been at least two and a half hours since Po, the Five, and Shifu returned from their memorial ceremony; and the Dragon Warrior, along with his five fellow fighters, have all retired to their suite. Shifu meanwhile excused himself to go spend some time with the Soothsayer. Apparently, though unsurprisingly, the goat fortune-teller was a close contact and friend of Oogway; which lead to both red-panda and goat setting a time for them to discuss Oogway's passing and relating each other's memories of the late tortoise.

The first thing the six students of the Jade Palace have done upon their return was to live up to Po's promise, and break out his new board game. Po was as eager as ever to play it, while the Five were slightly uneasy about the whole thing. Much to everyone's amusement however, the game turned out to be not nearly as cheesy or ridiculous as they all thought it would be. It was actually enjoyable to recreate some of their biggest battles, as well as add some twists onto some of them, or even create new ones altogether. Po without surprise was rather enjoyed with the prospect of finally being a part of the Furious Five's biggest fights and battles in that imaginary version of China lying there on the table.

To kick things up a notch, all six of them even decided to play as someone else. This involved Po switching places with Tigress and Mantis switching places with Viper. But when it came to Monkey wanting to play as Crane in the game, the avian master instantly began to regret the role-switch idea. Ever since first arriving at the Gongmen Prison all those days ago, Po and Monkey were convinced that Crane would occasionally make noises that were primitive to his people; much to the chagrin of said bird. Deep down however, he knew for a fact that he did make that primitive noise during the fight at the harbor and yet… Well, he's got to protect whatever dignity he has.

Which brought Crane's thoughts back to the game he and his friends and fellow masters were playing. They were all in the middle of thwarting the imaginary sacking of the imaginary port by the imaginary pirate gang bent on stealing all of the imaginary valuables and treasures as well as terrorizing the imaginary citizens of said imaginary port; the very fact that Crane managed to put it in that perspective in his mind made him inwardly groan. _Come on Xin, you're more mature than that!_

There were also several cards that had the game's version of the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five statistics on them. Including: Health; Attack Damage; Damage Resistance; Strengths; Weaknesses; and Special Abilities.

Upon inspection of the Crane card, the real life Crane saw that whoever the obsessed fan was that made the game had decided to add "Wings of Justice" as one of his Special Abilities.

_How this guy finds out all this stuff about us is beyond even me. Maybe one of the palace servants is really an inside man… or woman for that matter… and is feeding this kind of information to the game maker. Or maybe I'm becoming more and more paranoid by the second._

"Yoo-hoo… Crane! You still with us?" He heard Po say as a large, black paw was then in front of his face; snapping Crane out of his thoughts. Looking back up, he saw everyone else looking at him with various looks. Some were impatient, as though they were waiting for his turn. Looking down again, he saw that everyone's game pieces have moved from their original places. Sure enough, it was indeed his turn and everyone was waiting on him.

But before most of the others could complain at the bird for holding up the game, it was Po who told him; "Relax Crane, I can see how something like that would get your mind rolling. But let's worry about that later okay? For now, we've got some serious fake business to take care of."

Before Crane could reply or give thanks to the panda for defusing what could have been quite the argument, making it clear that some of Crane's conflict-avoiding trait was influencing Po, the Dragon Warrior then took a look at the Po character card.

"Though I gotta tell you guys, I'm kinda disappointed that they didn't include a 'Heroic Speech' ability for yours truly. 'Cause when I gave that big speech while looking down at Shen and his fleet, I bet he was shaking in his talons! Am I right?"

Crane and the rest of the Five shared slightly nervous glances at each other, then looked back at Po. It was Viper who broke the silence.

"Uh… yes Po. Shen and his army knew right then and there that you were a force to be reckoned with."

Mantis then added, "Yup, never saw you coming tough guy."

None of them had the heart to tell Po that everyone could barely hear Po's big return speech from way down below in the docks. Crane remembered that it was that and when he made that futile attempt to free the Five with that straw hat that confirmed that Po was in fact alive and not some phantom coming back to haunt them. After all, it would have somewhat ruined the moment of them being reunited in the end.

Shaking his head slightly at the memory, Crane took the dice in one of his own talons and rolled them. After moving seven spaces to catch up with the other pieces, he noticed that the Po piece was a bit farther behind from the others. _Okay, is Tigress really trying to make an accurate depiction of our travels. Po, you're combat skills may have substantially improved since you first arrived here, but I think we need to work on your long distance fitness when we get back home… right after we all get a nice long nap first._

During the course of their fake adventure, Mantis and Monkey explained that Tigress seemed to have hit a stroke of bad luck during their session. While everyone managed to get large rolls of the dice, the tiger always seemed to get small numbers whenever she rolled them. She even managed to get four "snake eyes" in a row. Tigress defended that the dice had to have been rigged, something the others immediately interpreted as denial.

After another five turns, Tigress managed to catch back up with the others and had begun their fake assault on the fake pirate gang when Viper spoke up.

"You know, word is going around the city is that they're going to have a massive fireworks display tonight. I think it sounds lovely."

Po agreed, "Yeah, those fireworks are awesome! We should totally go see them tonight!" No one disagreed with the panda in the slightest. But it was Mantis, no surprise, to be the one to add some spice to the evening plans.

"Hey, I think I know how we can make it a bit more interesting. Two ways to be exact." Everyone slowly turned towards the insect master, interested to hear what his suggestions were. He then continued; "We can totally get the best view of those fireworks from the roof of the hotel. _And _I just happen to have a bottle of sake…"

Everyone gave him a rather stunned look, it was Monkey who broke the silence, "You mean, the liquor?"

Mantis nodded and said, "Imported straight from Japan." Another brief silence; "Oh come on. We're all adults here. It won't kill anyone to have some once in a while. Besides, we've got all the reason to celebrate. And what's better than to kick back on the roof, watching the fireworks, and enjoying a good drink while we're at it."

But before anyone could answer, there came several knocks at their door.

"Come in" Tigress said.

The door opened and on the other side revealed a soldier of the Imperial Army regiment sent to Gongmen City. He looked like he was a fresh-from-training recruit, because he seemed rather nervous coming into their suite. He was also a snow leopard; but unlike another certain snow leopard the Dragon Warrior and the Five crossed paths with in the past, this one looked a bit younger, probably somewhere in his late teens or early twenties. He also had a different pattern of brown spots on his fur, and he had an average build of muscle.

The soldier then spoke with slight unease, "Uh… greetings masters. I've uhm… I come he-here with a m-m-message f-for-"

"Hey buddy, calm down;" Po said in a calm voice, "We're not mad at you for interrupting us. And you can call us by our names."

Mantis agreed, "The guy's right kid. No rules against fraternization here."

Somehow, however, this only made the recruit even more uneasy. "I-I know it's just… well I DIDN'T know! But I was just-I mean that is to say that- aw jeez…"

"Hey, take a deep breath and calm down." Crane said. He supposed he did understand why the young leopard would be nervous. Being sent to deliver a message to some of the greatest warriors in all of China would give anyone proverbial butterflies in their stomachs. But he also assumed that some of the higher ranking or more experienced soldiers in his group gave him that responsibility.

_Most likely some kind of hazing ritual._

It was also likely that those experienced soldiers lied to the poor kid and told him that the Jade Palace warriors didn't take too kindly to snow leopards after that fiasco with Tai Lung. With that, they all let him know that what Tai Lung did, both twenty years ago and several years ago, did not represent what all snow leopards were like as a whole. During the Furious Five's travels across China before the arrival of Po, they did meet several snow leopards and they were in fact very polite people. They were just as varied in personalities just like everyone else.

Po and Viper managed to coax the young solder into taking a seat on one of the couches and he eventually calmed down enough to talk normally. Po, being the kind-hearted big guy that he was, spoke to him. "That's it pal, just take it easy, there's no need to get all worked up. Now tell us, what's your name?"

"Xiao Chang of the Sichuan Province. I enlisted about nine months ago. In fact, coming here to Gongmen City is my first assignment with the regiment." The leopard named Chang responded.

Tigress then stepped up to the young leopard and asked, "How do you like being here in the city?"

He replied, "I've never been here before, but from what I've seen it's quite the marvel. It's also lot bigger than I thought it was going to be. I mean, General Hao said this place was big but… you know… once you actually see it with your very eyes…"

There was certainly no debate about that, for it was also the Five's and the Dragon Warrior's first visit to the city as well. Of course at that very moment they could now take in all the sights and not have to dealing with a deranged peacock and his plans for domination of China. Crane and the others knew that eventually they would leave for the Valley of Peace in several days, so he and the others would have to enjoy their R and R while they can.

"So, what's this message that you had to deliver?" Monkey asked out of curiosity.

Chang blinked several times, then spoke; "Oh right! Um… it's a message for Master Crane." Everyone looked at Crane as the leopard soldier continued, "They wanted me to tell you that there's a visitor that's just arrived to the city and would like an audience with you."

"Alright then," Crane nodded and replied, "Who is this guest that wants to see me?"

"I believe it's Master Mountain Cat."

* * *

><p>Crane had a blank, practically emotionless face. But Mantis knew him a lot better than that. He could tell that there were a million thoughts running through the bird's head at that very moment the words "Master Mountain Cat" were mentioned. The insect knew about the story of Crane's beginnings of kung fu, and his friendship with this mountain cat whose real name was Mei Ling.<p>

_Oh man, the guy's got it bad for her._

Po meanwhile was reverting back to his fan-boy attitude. He heard him gasp, then utter out, "No way! THE Master Mountain Cat? The very same one who's fought fifty of the Blackhoof Bandits and won without a single scratch? The very same one who is rumored to have went fishing on the moon? Crane, you honestly didn't know she was-?"

But the ecstatic panda never did get that answer he was hoping for… because when he, Mantis, the rest of the Five, and Chang all turned to look at Crane again… he wasn't there anymore, the door was wide open, and they could hear frantic footsteps getting fainter and fainter by the second.

"Well…" Mantis said, "…looks like Crane won't be joining us on the roof tonight."

A/N: Alright, I originally intended this to be a one shot on it's own. But while I was writing this I realized that it'll wind up being too long to fit onto one story. So I've broken it up into two parts. I'll post the second part as soon as I possibly can.

Review Button. It's right there for you to use.


	3. Reunion Part 2

A/N: Something I forgot to mention in the last chapter; Po saying that Master Mountain Cat went fishing on the moon is of course a reference to the Dreamworks Animation logo intro from the first movie. If you look closely, you can see that the person running onto the moon has a striking similarity to Mei Ling from the Secrets short movie.

Oh and the part where Po threw the hat in an attempt to save the Five was laugh out loud hilarious and it also slightly reminded me of Kung Lao from the Mortal Kombat series. Just figured I 'atta share that with y'all.

Also, I wanted to say that before I saw the sequel, Crane was (and still is) my favorite member of the Five; though now it's a close race between him and Mantis. XD

**Aftermath**

Reunion Part 2 of 2

Even though he was moving as fast as his legs could take him, Crane seriously wished that his wing was fully healed so he could simply fly his way to his destination. To _her_. That wasn't to say that he still couldn't fly at all, in fact Crane could at that point fly short distances at best; but still…

_Well, I can't exactly help but think these things. I'm not selfish at all; it's just part of being a bird, though I REALLY wish I could do without the every-now-and-then molting phase._

Ah yes, he could clearly remember the last time his old feathers starting coming off of him… right in the middle of a skirmish with a minor group of bandits harassing a village. Monkey and Mantis had ripped on him for weeks.

By the time he was thinking of his past humiliations, Crane was already nearing the main entrance to Gongmen City. He still couldn't believe it; after all these years he could finally be reunited with his closest friend from his days at the Li Dai Academy. Sure, he has sent and received many letters from Mei Ling in the years since his departure from said Academy, but even so… just being next to her…

There was so much to catch up on; he didn't know where to begin. Of course, she had to have been thinking the same thing. How much did they change since they've last seen each other? In several ways he sincerely wish it was both a lot and not at all. Crane would love to hear what the mountain cat has been up to in her own adventures, yet at the same time he also wished that she stayed the same friendly feline she had been in their younger years. Either way, the avian master always remembered her like how he remembers that he had 6,019 feathers on his body… not that he liked to keep count of them.

Which also brought up some rather recent and unpleasant memories. Crane was of course reflecting as he traveled through the city about what he was thinking while he and the rest of the Five were chained in front of Shen's fleet, awaiting their execution. Very much like their fight with Tai Lung, he truly felt he was going to die at that very moment. Up to the point where the Dragon Warrior arrived to initiate that impressive rescue, there were two people that were at the front of the bird's thoughts.

Of course there was Po. That feeling of losing him at the fireworks factory really hit him and the Five harder than pretty much any wound they've ever sustained in any other battle. The panda who brought life and harmony to the Jade Palace was, in that time, gone from the world. And his final act was being so desperate to learn of his origins.

The second person was Mei Ling herself. He felt that he was going to die without ever seeing her again; without telling her how much he's come into his own because of her; how much he enjoyed her company…

_No. __**Stop it. **_Crane reminded himself. _It doesn't matter now. All that matters is that Po is very much alive and well… and it's because of him that I now have a chance to see Mei Ling again. _Along with that, he couldn't deny any longer that he had in his time with the mountain cat came to care for her greatly. He didn't believe it back then but in the present he didn't care if they were completely different species, if he were to spend the rest of his life with someone, he didn't just want someone he could raise a family with, he wanted someone he could trust with his life.

In fact, he fully intended to tell her how he felt the day before his departure to the Jade Palace, after being invited by Master Shifu to become a student of his. But he didn't, not because of the species difference or the risks of a long-distance relationship.

It was because he was afraid.

Afraid of what her reaction would be. Fear of rejection, or saying that they're better off friends. He also didn't know what her opinion on a cross species relationship would be. While a vast majority of people preferred to stick with their own kind, there were certainly no rules or laws against someone from one species having a relationship with someone from another species. That still didn't stop Crane from wondering if Mei Ling wanted a man who was a fellow feline or not. Then there was marriage and children to think about…

_Okay, now I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself there._

In the present however, Crane had set aside those thoughts and was now more than determined to tell her his feelings, even if it means it would most likely turn out to be a long distance relationship. He knew that Mei Ling was always more of the adventurous type; getting the chance to explore the country, righting wrongs, and enjoying a sense of freedom so few women across China had. Nonetheless, he was not going to make the same mistake again. Those questions he that went through his mind would go unsolved _unless he told her._

By the time Crane finally snapped out of his thoughts, he realized that he was already near the entrance to the city. There were of course the city's citizens all moving about with their business, several Imperial Soldiers acting as the city's temporary security force, and several small shops with their vendors attracting customers to see their goods. Crane was still taking in all the sights when he suddenly heard an all too familiar voice.

"Xin… Xin, is that you?"

For a moment he froze; there were only several who called him by his birth name. Obviously there was his family. His father, mother, uncles, aunts, and so forth. But as for non-family members go, there was only one.

Just as Crane turned to see the source of the voice, he suddenly felt two beige colored, strong yet slender arms wrap around him; and they were connected to a force that slammed into him so hard he nearly tripped over onto his back. And it took _a lot_ to get someone who is a master of balance to even falter in their stance in the slightest.

"Oh gods, it IS you! I missed you so much!" That voice cried excitedly.

Looking down, Crane saw the figure that had embraced him and saw that it was in fact his long-time friend, Mei Ling. It was when she finally pulled back, but still had her paws on his shoulders, that he finally got a good look at her. Overall, she hadn't changed too much since the last time he saw her. The mountain cat still wore a green cloth and leather vest with a scarf of a slightly lighter color to compliment it; as well as a pair of trousers that matched the color of her vest, as did her gloves. Her body had a really nice figure as well, a bit more curve to it than her younger days. But what caught the bird's attention the most were her eyes. While slightly more aged with experience from her travels, they were still those same almond shaped eyes that gave him the happiest look when he completed the obstacle course on the day of the try-outs.

Taking all of this in, Crane felt both heat rising to his face and the lower part of his beak creak open. This time however he had managed to keep it at a reasonable level (as far as gazing at a beautiful woman goes, that is), unlike the two times he saw Tigress embrace Po back at Gongmen Jail and vice versa at the harbor.

Or rather… he _sincerely_ _hoped _it was at a reasonable level.

Either way, this didn't escape Mei Ling's notice; as she immediately blushed and gave a small giggle… another thing Crane missed to hear from her. _Come on Xin, you've just reunited with your best friend. Don't botch this!_

Finally closing his beak, he blinked, and smiled as he returned the hug. "Mei Ling, it's been so long. I've got so much to tell you."

"That makes two of us." She replied just as Crane released her. "But I think we should do that someplace less… crowded. I think we may have given these people quite a sight."

Looking around, he saw that she was right. Apparently, their sudden exchange has caught the attention of several of citizens' and even a couple of Imperial Soldiers' attention, and most of them looked rather amused. Both feline and avian eyed the witnesses sheepishly, explained briefly that they were old friends, and quietly moved to find another spot to catch up with each other.

Eventually finding a public bench, Crane and Mei Ling then spent quite some time talking about… well… pretty much everything in between their departure from Li Dai to their moments fresh reunion at Gongmen City. They covered the generic topics first; such as: what new techniques they've learned, who they have met over the years and travels, and specific fights or battles they've fought in. This then led Mei Ling to ask about Crane's life at the Jade Palace. He told her that aside from being taught by Masters Shifu and Oogway themselves, continuing to right wrongs across the Valley of Peace and China, life was unfortunately not as filled with laughs and merriment within the then strict halls of the Palace. All that changed when Po was chosen the Dragon Warrior and his victory over Tai Lung.

"Wow, Po definitely sounds like quite the guy to have around." Mei Ling said, after hearing about the panda warrior.

Crane nodded and replied, "Yeah, I guess we never really noticed just how unhappy we all were until he showed up that day. I'll admit, Po does is pretty much a kid-at-heart kind of guy, and despite his skills as a fighter and a chef, he still needs to work on his stealth and long-distance hikes. But still, he's very much one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet."

The mountain cat gave a small laugh then added, "Other than _you _of course Xin."

That remark had of course made Crane laugh, with a touch of nervousness as he again felt his face flush. Mei Ling smirked at the sight, and then told him that she had only gotten word of the situation at Gongmen City about a week-and-a-half ago. She then apologized for not arriving fast enough to help him, Po, and the rest of the Five, but also said that despite everything that had to have gone down in the city, they were able to stop Shen and his army. Crane reassured her that she didn't have anything to apologize for, that getting a message out to the Emperor and other kung fu masters was difficult enough with Shen's wolves preventing many from getting any word out; in fact, it was a miracle that a message had made its way to the Jade Palace.

After saying that, Crane then related their journey to the city and their initial actions upon reaching it. But Mei Ling stopped him when he started talking about sneaking their way to the main palace in a giant dragon costume.

"You're kidding right?" Mei Ling asked with amusement in her voice.

Crane sighed and responded, "I'm afraid not. Like I said, Po really needs to work on his stealth a bit more." He then gave a smirk, "Though I have to admit, it was rather enjoyable to swallow up those wolves then spit them back out at their comrades."

After telling that amusing part of their mission, Crane then continued by then telling Mei Ling about finding Masters Storming Ox and Croc in Gongmen Jail, chasing after the Wolf Boss, purposely getting captured, and ultimately destroying Shen's cannon.

But it was when he told her about Shen firing his other cannons from the fireworks factory that Mei Ling finally noticed Crane's injured wing. She gasped and immediately went down to get a better look at it. "Oh my gods! Is that how this happened to your wing?"

Crane was speechless for several seconds, surprised at the sudden exclamation. He then recomposed himself and reassured her; "Don't worry Mei, I've already had it checked out by a doctor several days ago. It'll heal up; I just can't fly for a while."

Mei Ling calmed herself down and noticed that Crane had an upset look on his face. She had a pretty good idea what it was for too. "You really miss flying don't you?"

"Yeah…" Crane replied, "I know it's only going to be for a short time, but I just can't help it. I'm a bird. And birds are meant to fly."

The feline master then allowed the avian master to continue with the retelling of their latest adventure. Starting with the six warriors retreating to the jail, where Po revealed that Shen was strongly connected with his at the time lost past. Crane opted not to go into exact details of what that entailed; he knew that the full story of the panda's origins was Po's business to explain to others. But he was certain that once he introduced Mei Ling to Po, the bear would eventually relate those memories to her.

Crane then continued that after having Po remain behind due to being too emotionally involved to continue with the mission, he and the rest of the Five came up with a plan to destroy Shen's cannon factory. It nearly worked too, but Po defied Tigress' orders and confronted Shen about his past. Before Tigress could reach Po, the peacock blasted the panda right out of the factory, presumably to his death…

…which then led Crane to relate the hardest part to his friend: How he and the Five got captured and chained to Shen's ships. They were however extremely relieved and surprised to see Po, alive, return and save them; as well as defeat Shen and save Gongmen City. Even though he had already mentally told himself that he and the others survived the whole thing, the memories were still fresh; being that close to getting executed would definitely do that to someone.

Mei Ling seemed to notice this, as she slid closer to Crane and placed a comforting paw on his shoulder. "That must have been quite an ordeal for you." She said in a quiet, caring tone.

Crane sighed, looked back up, and gave her a reassuring smile; "It doesn't matter now though, all that matters is that me and the others lived through the whole thing and now we…can…" Crane cut his rant short when he saw that his feline friend's eyes were now wet with unshed tears, and had a saddened look on her face. "Mei, what's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

"I-I'm sorry Xin. It's just that… s-sometimes I'm scared for you." She replied, her voice shaking slightly. "I _know _that you're one of the best fighters this country has ever seen, and I know you had to have been in tough scraps before… hell, I've had plenty of close calls too. But I still worry about you. You're my closest friend, and I don't want to lose you…" She finally lowered her head as some of her tears rolled down her cheeks.

The bird immediately wiped the tears with his good wing and soon after enveloped the weeping mountain cat in his wings, whispering calming words to her. "Hey, it's okay. I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. And I feel the same way about you." After several more moments, Mei Ling finally calmed down enough as for Crane to pull away from her.

She at last allowed herself to smile, "And here's hoping that the only way we'll die is by old age, eh?" Mei Ling joked.

By the time that was settled, the sun was setting. It was then that Crane remembered something back when he was in the suite.

"Hey, I've heard that there's going to be a massive fireworks show tonight. We should go see it together. And I think I know just the place too." The bird said as the feline listened with an interested gleam in her eyes. "During my time here, I saw this open air tea shop. I believe it's called _New Moon. _We can get a table over there and have some tea together while we wait for the fireworks." He paused, then asked, "That is, if you would like. Uhm… would you?"

The mountain cat looked at him with a content and amused face, and then gave him his answer.

"Okay, two things before I can answer that. First off, what about the rest of your friends? What are they doing tonight?"

The bird replied, "They said they were going to watch the fireworks from the roof of the hotel we're staying at. And Mantis mentioned that he brought a bottle of Japanese sake. I'd go with them, but then one of the soldiers told me that you arrived, so I figured I should spend tonight with you. I'm sure they'd understand; I mean it's been quite a while since we've spent any time together… so…" Crane slowly stopped himself when he realized he'd been rambling on and on about their reunion; something Mei Ling again giggled at, especially when the bird blushed once more and gave a nervous smile.

"Okay, I get your point." Mei Ling responded amusingly. "Now for the second thing… did you just ask me out on a date?"

Crane immediately started stuttering and stumbling over his words; "Well-I-uh-that is to per say-I mean… uh…"

He froze when the mountain cat leaned in once more… to give an affectionate kiss on his cheek.

"Xin… did you _at any point _hear me say 'no'?"

* * *

><p>AN: Alrighty then folks! That wraps up this arc. I'm going to leave the rest to your interpretation, because it's time for me to move onto the next arc, which I'll get to in a second.

The tea shop Crane mentioned, New Moon, is also the name of the coffee shop I live near and frequently go to when I'm drafting stories. Nothing ever beats a caramel Frappuccino while coming up with stories… XD

Also, the 6,019 feathers he has on his body is something I looked up on the KFP Wikia site.

**Next time on Aftermath: **Po, the rest of the Five, and even Shifu partake on some rooftop fireworks spectating… and sake to go along with it! But the next morning, not only do none of them remember what happened for the rest of the evening, but Shifu is missing too!

Yes… that's right… it's a parody of The Hangover, one of my all-time favorite comedies. Mainly because I saw the Hangover sequel right after I saw the KFP sequel.

Review Please!


	4. Down the Hatch Part 1

A/N: Hey, hey, hey! It's me again! Again, I'd like to thank all of you for reviewing and reading this story. I honestly didn't think it would be this popular.

In this episode of Aftermath Po, the Furious Five (sans Crane), and even Shifu all enjoy a nice fireworks show and have some sake to go with it. But the next morning, they soon realize that things didn't go exactly as they planned. I've decided to simply change this from a five-parter to a three-parter for you all; makes for a bit longer chapters. This story was pretty much the result of watching the Hangover sequel just hours after the KFP sequel. I gotta tell ya, it was pretty interesting to go watch an R-Rated raunchy comedy right after a family friendly animated movie. XD

I also heard that there is going to be a KFP short that will be released with the KFP2 DVD! Apparently it will be centered on the three masters of the Kung Fu Council: Thundering Rhino, Croc, and Storming Ox. Good thing too, because as much as I loved KFP2, there wasn't much character development for these three. And I really wanted to hear more from Jean Claude Van Damme, if he's reprising the role, anyway.

One last thing, I've decided to add another arc onto this mini-series that will be set after this one. For that, I give thanks to **samus18** for crafting the story, "Ripples in the Water", which revolves around two totally unexpected characters in the sequel.

Enjoy!

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KUNG FU PANDA OR THE HANGOVER OR EITHER ONE OF THEIR GREAT SEQUELS**

**Aftermath**

Down the Hatch!

PART ONE OF THREE

Night-time had fallen over Gongmen City, and pretty much all the people residing within as well as many of the Imperial Soldiers were all getting ready to become spectators of what was said to be quite the fireworks display. All over the streets, people were scrambling to get the best view of the show.

For a certain group of warriors, however, they very much already had the best seat in the house. Using their acrobatic skills, Po and four of the Five climbed to the roof of their hotel, and saw that they had a perfect view of the night sky, perfect for firework gazing. The only one absent from the Five was Crane, and for a very good reason. It became obvious to everyone that once the Imperial Army rookie, Xiao Chang, informed him that Master Mountain Cat had arrived to the city, Crane would most definitely spend as much time as he possibly could with his long-distance and closest friend.

Speaking of the young snow leopard named Chang, once the bird master left, Po and Mantis immediately ordered the kid to take Crane's place in their game they were still in the middle of. Naturally, Chang had fallen back into his nervous state, stating that he may be needed elsewhere and that his commanding officer would have his head if he didn't report back. It was Tigress of all people who told the leopard soldier that they would later talk to General Hao and tell him that they could call it "establishing better relations with the Imperial Army" as the tiger master put it; and that if in the even that Hao or Chang's commanding officer did have a problem with it, the Dragon Warrior and the Five would say that it was their idea.

After finally concluding their game Po along with Tigress, Monkey, Mantis, and Viper escorted Chang back to his post where General Hao and the commanding officer, a white tiger named Feng who looked about five years younger than the general, were residing. Once they explained why recruit Xiao Chang took longer than they thought delivering a message would usually take, Shang looked like he was ready to verbally destroy the visibly distraught kid… that is until Hao stepped in and thanked the warriors for helping the young recruit learn to socialize with others better so that he can socialize better with the other soldiers in his group. He then reminded the white tiger commander that they both weren't always battle-hardened leaders and that they had to go through what Chang was presently going through to get where they are. That served to silence Feng as he then excused himself to continue overseeing the clean-up of the harbor.

The five warriors' respect for the lion general grew exponentially after that, Grand Master Oogway certainly taught him well. Xiao Chang was also most grateful for the warriors' assistance, as he then seemed a bit more eager to spend time with his fellow soldiers.

With that part of their agenda crossed off, the warriors bid both the general and the recruit farewell, and returned to the hotel when the sun finally set.

Back on the hotel rooftop, Po and his fellow masters simply sat in silence, taking in the great view of the city, waiting in high anticipation for the light-show. Mantis' bottle of sake sat next to the bug.

"So uh…" Po began to ask, breaking the silence; "…when are we gonna break that bottle out?"

Mantis immediately went right for the cork of the bottle, "No time like the present tough guy! Now who's got the shot glasses?" Just as he got the cork ready for him to pull out, Monkey pulled out of a small bag several shot glasses and handed them to everyone else.

Yet when he offered Tigress her glass, she was hesitant to take it. "Oh, no thank you. I'd rather not partake in this." For some reason though, she seemed more nervous than usual; something rarely seen on the leader of the Five.

Po, of course, tried to get her to change her mind; "Oh come on Tigress, live a little for a change! We're celebrating our totally awesome victory, remember?"

Tigress turned to face him and replied, "I'm quite well aware of that Po; it's just that…" she sighed, "…I'm a bit of a lightweight when it comes to alcohol." The tiger finished with her shoulders slumped; but then straightened them and shot Mantis a glare when he looked like he was about to chuckle at her statement.

"It's alright Tigress," Viper said in her usual voice-of-reason tone, "It's not like we're going to get totally drunk tonight. One shot of sake won't hurt anyone."

After a couple of seconds of giving it some thought, Tigress finally agreed to only one shot and accepted her shot glass from Monkey. Mantis then popped the cork on the bottle and handed it to Po so he could pour the drinks. But just as the panda was about to start serving they heard an all familiar voice behind them.

"Is that sake you're drinking?"

All five warriors froze on the spot, and then slowly turned towards the source of the voice. Just as they feared, that voice belonged to none other than their master, Shifu. Apparently he found out about their incentive. He had a blank, emotionless face on him; which only served to make his students even more nervous.

So it was expected for them to be totally bemused when he then said, "Do you happen to have any extra glasses in that bag?" As he said that unexpected sentence they never thought they'd hear from him, his expression had loosened to a softer yet eager look.

Even as Po slowly reached into the bag to grab another shot glass and handed it over to the aged red panda, he and everyone else just stared at their master with every mouth gaping open in absolute disbelief. Shifu: their master, Grand Master of the Jade Palace, for many years the most strict kung fu teacher in all of China… actually wanted to partake in the consumption of alcohol?

This naturally didn't escape Shifu's notice, as he then said in a flat tone, "Judging by your faces, are you assuming I'm too _old _to have this kind of fun?"

"NO!"

"Absolutely not Master!"

"No way! What would ever give you that idea?"

"I think you're in totally awesome shape for a guy your age- I mean for anybody!"

"You're always welcome to join in!"

Shifu smirked as five of his six students simultaneously gave their responses. It was then that he noticed that someone was missing.

"Where is Crane? Don't tell me it's because of his wing."

That question made everyone snap out of their panicked state, as Tigress then answered.

"No master. He isn't here with us because his old friend, Master Mountain Cat, arrived to the city several hours ago. And I can imagine that he's taking the opportunity to do some serious catching up to do with her."

As Shifu nodded, Viper then added; "Something tells me that they're going to do more than just catch up with each other…" she said with a soft tone.

"No offense Viper," Monkey then said, "But that sounded like something Mantis would have said."

After taking several seconds to interpret the meaning of what the primate had said, Mantis then chuckled and agreed with him, Po awkwardly placed his paw behind his head, Tigress shook her head, and Viper let everyone know how she felt about the matter…

…by immediately swatting and batting at both Monkey and Mantis with the tip of her tail.

Chuckling at the sight, Shifu then had Po pour the shots for everyone. As the panda did so, the Grand Master of the Jade Palace went on by saying that he, Hao, and several other students back in his time went to the roof of the barracks once a week just to gaze out at the stars at night. Finding out that his students were on the roof had brought back some fond memories that he wanted to relive with his students. Once everyone was served and the bottle was re-corked and set aside, everyone knew that there had to be a toast before they had their drinks and before the fireworks could start.

"I say Tigress should have the honors." Po said as he and everyone else in suit turned towards the feline master.

Naturally, she at first refused; "Uhm… no thank you. I'm not very good when it comes to delivering a toast."

"Oh come on Tigress, it's not that hard to do." Monkey pleaded. It took that and more convincing from the others before Tigress finally caved in. Taking in a deep breath, she started talking; softly at first, then with more energy.

"Throughout the years that I've known all of you, I don't think we've had anything that was a closer call than what we went through all those days ago. We went through more physical and mental pain than what I'm sure many of us had to endure before. But it doesn't matter now; all that matters is that we were victorious in the battle to save China and Gongmen City… as well as proving to the world that Kung Fu is not dead just yet and will stay that way for all… eternity…"

She cut her speech short when she noticed everyone else giving her a bemused look, and Tigress realized far too late what the reason behind that was.

Po couldn't have said it any better, "Okay… as much as how awesome that speech was, all we wanted was a simple toast Tigress."

Tigress sighed in resignation as she lowered her head and grumbled, "I TOLD you I wasn't good with toasts." Despite that newest embarrassing moment added to her mental scrap book, she smiled a little as the others laughed not at her but with her.

It was at that point when Po, the four members of the Five, and Shifu then heard a loud bang. Turning towards the sky, they all saw that the fireworks display had begun, and boy did it live up to the hype. The colors, the lights, the sounds; it was all so mesmerizing and a true beauty to behold.

Finally turning towards each other, Tigress finally got it right when she said three simple words that summed everything up:

"To our victory."

Everyone else chorused "To our victory" and chinked their glasses together.

* * *

><p><em>THROB. THROB. THROB. THROB. THROB.<em>

As he slowly swam into consciousness, Monkey immediately groaned in pain as he pressed his palm to his forehead. Opening his eyes proved to be just as painful as he was suddenly blinded by the morning light that was pouring through the open window sills. "What the hell…?" he muttered groggily. Once he managed to get used to the light, Monkey then sat up and took in his surroundings.

He was back in their large suite, lying on a blanket on the floor. The living room was an absolute mess; chairs and tables turned upside down, bottles of rice wine, sake, and other various bottles of liquor spread out almost everywhere, and even several mattresses from their rooms down the hall were set up in the corner as though it were a child's makeshift fort (complete with a small rag tied to a broom-stick together acting as a crude flag).

Looking around some more, he saw his friends, out cold for the time being. Mantis was on an upright table, on his back, looking as how Po would describe his "Laying Still for a Really Long Time Technique". The panda himself was sitting and leaning against a wall, his mouth hanging as open as the catch of the day. Viper was wrapped around Po's shoulders like a decorative scarf. Finally, Tigress was totally lounged out on a couch, face down in a pillow, with a half-empty bottle of rice wine in her paw.

Taking all of this in, Monkey began to think to himself. _What in the world happened? Was there a fight? Oh wait, if there were a fight we'd have bruises and cuts, and I don't see any downed bad guys. Let's see here; wine bottles, a killer headache, lights are a bad thing… Oh gods, I know what this is._

It was a hangover and a bad one too.

Monkey's thoughts were then interrupted by groaning sounds very similar to the ones he made when he woke up. Turning, he saw Mantis turning himself upright and trying to maintain balance as he stood up on his four legs. Po did the same as he stood up; yet Viper lazily slid off of Po's shoulders and flopped onto the floor. Tigress however remained on the couch and covered her head with another pillow, trying to drown out the sounds and the light. Monkey, Viper, and Po lazily made their way over to the table Mantis was standing on. For a good long while, no one said a word, and then Mantis spoke what everyone was thinking.

"What happened to us last night?"

Just as Monkey, Viper, and Po were about to answer, they soon realized to their shock and horror that none of them seemed to remember what exactly happened to them other than getting incredibly drunk and crashing in the living room of their suite.

Po was the first to speak, "I honestly don't know man; all I remember is us watching the fireworks from the roof, then we had those shots of sake. Next thing I know we're all here."

"I have to go with Po on this one," Viper chimed in, "Other than us winding up with what could quite possibly be the worst hangover in history; I can't seem to put my tail on what went on last night." As she spoke, she tried her best to block out the sunlight with her tail.

Monkey also noticed that they were all physically messed up as well. No cuts or bruises as he earlier thought; but Tigress', Po's, and his own fur was all ruffled up. Viper's lotus flowers were uneven (something she immediately took notice of and straightened them out). And Mantis had a severely tired and lazy look in his eyes. The primate then did a double take on Po's belly.

"Po, I think there's something written on your gut." The primate pointed out. Looking down, the panda saw that there was indeed something written in black ink on his large belly; which read "Tzu's-" the rest was severely rubbed out.

"Who the heck is Tzu?" Po asked aloud. Again, no one had any response to the question that was asked. The four then finally turned towards the one person in the room who hasn't said a single word.

"Tigress…" Mantis began, "…come on already, we know you're awake. You gotta help us out here."

The only thing the hung-over tiger could do was vainly give the 'shoo' hand gesture by waving her paw up and down towards them; she then groaned and let her arm flop lazily to the floor.

Viper pleaded, "Come on Tigress; we're serious."

Tigress gave another muffled groan into her pillow, and then sat up to look at her friends. Just as Monkey and the others were about to start asking questions to the striped feline, they all suddenly froze with their eyes becoming as wide as dinner plates. Tigress took notice of their expressions and she herself put on a puzzled look.

"…What?"

The only response she received was when Po motioned by placing his paw by his left ear. Tigress did the same… then herself froze in horror when she realized why everyone was so surprised…

She had her ear pierced in three different places.

All Monkey could think was, _Something tells me we're in for a LONG day._

* * *

><p>AN: Uh oh. What could have caused them to not remember a thing from the other night? Why does Po have "Tzu" written on his stomach? Why does Tigress have ear piercings? Find out next time on Aftermath!

Oh man, I've been looking forward to writing this arc for so long. I love Kung Fu Panda 1 and 2; and I love Hangover 1 and 2. So what better than to combine both things I love?

Read and Review!


	5. Down the Hatch Part 2

**Aftermath**

Down the Hatch!

PART TWO OF THREE

At that point in her life, Viper was used to having the only other female master of the Jade Palace vent to her whatever it was she had pent up inside her for the time being. Tigress wasn't exactly the kind of person someone would want to get on the bad side of… and expect to survive the reprisal. There were very few people in the world Tigress could let loose her inner thoughts and problems to. Before his passing, it was Oogway. Now these days that job fell to Viper and more recently, Po. The talk she had with the panda about how she punched ironwood trees near the palace as part of her training was most certainly a good example. The various things she would relate to the snake and/or bear greatly varied; ranging from her relationship with her adopted father Shifu (though she may now have an easier time talking about that topic with Po, given his recent discovery of his heritage), whenever she was frustrated whenever she would lose in a sparring match (something incredibly rare), and so forth.

Along with complaining about all those times Mantis would make a raunchy joke at her expense. As Tigress once said about the insect master, "If Mantis' life had a face… I would punch it."

All those things Viper could easily handle, being the voice of reason of the Five.

_This _particular case however made Viper believe she was way in over her head. Waking up with a hangover, not remembering the events from the night before that led up to it, and realizing that at some point she had her left ear pierced in three different places was a bit out of even Viper's league of expertise.

Short version: Tigress. Was. Pissed.

"WHO IN THE HELL THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA? BECAUSE I WOULD _NEVER _MAKE MYSELF DO THIS!" Tigress yelled while pointing to the three rings on her ear.

Viper and the three males present in the living room of their suite were speechless; all of them totally unsure of what to say.

Tigress then continued with her rant; "Dear gods in the heavens, how much did we drink last night? How much did you get me to drink? I TOLD you I'm a light-weight when it comes to drinking!" She said as she held a paw to her head.

Viper looked over to Po who started to slightly shake his head as he then said, "Oh man, Shifu's going to have a proverbial cow when he learns about this." No one said anything in response, but they all felt a sudden dread when their master was mentioned.

"Yeah… but I think someone should find him first, so we can get this over with." Mantis said with resignation. Everyone agreed, yet no one moved a muscle for a good fifteen seconds. Finally had enough, Po volunteered to be the one to find and wake him, or rather… walk into the direct line of fire.

But after three and half minutes of nerve-wracking anticipation, Po finally came back, alone.

"Uh, hey guys… he's not in his room, and I looked everywhere else too. I don't think he's in the suite."

While it was a relief to not have to deal with a most likely angry Shifu (however temporary it may be), it still wasn't the answer they were expecting from the panda.

Viper then spoke up, "At least that will give us some time to clean this mess up. I mean, look at this place. We really shouldn't have left it like this." Everyone agreed, and it took them about another hour to pick up all the empty bottles, rearrange the furniture, and tear down the makeshift child's fort. Why someone decided to build a mattress fort in the first place, no one really knew for sure… and it was probably for the best that it stayed that way. While picking up some bottles, Po told Viper that he remembered why his father never has and never will add any alcoholic beverages to the menu at his restaurant back in the Valley. Viper couldn't help but giggle lightly at his comment, as she did remember that there was, however, something called the "Dragon Warrior Dumpling Challenge", where if someone were to completely devour a "Dragon Warrior sized" dumpling within twenty minutes, their name would be posted on a "Wall of Fame" for all to see.

The last time anyone checked there were only two who have ever completed that challenge: Po himself, as well as a bold and daring rabbit customer. From what she would later learn, that rabbit earned a spot on the wall just days before they had to leave for Gongmen City.

By the time they were done with the cleanup, there was still no sign of the Grand Master anywhere. Viper, as well as everyone else, was used to waking up to greet Shifu back at the Palace; and recently somewhere in their massive hotel room. This was extremely unlike him; even with alcohol as a factor he should have still made an appearance at that point, if he was hung-over like the rest of them, that is.

Seeing that there was one person still absent from the group, the gang then headed towards the room of said absent member of the Five, Crane's.

After knocking on his door a couple times, they heard the familiar sound of talons walking on the floor, and the door finally opened to reveal Crane; a bit groggy from just waking up and without his trademark wide-brimmed hat.

"Good morning everybo-" he cut himself off when he saw the state of his comrades; "Good lord, you guys look terrible. Did any of you get any sleep last night?"

Monkey shook his head, "I'm pretty sure we did at some point, but we don't think we'd remember when exactly."

Just as Crane was going to ask what that meant, he then sniffed the air, then deadpanned; "How much sake did you drink last night?" The others glanced at each other nervously for a second, and then looked back at the bird.

"Yeah…" Po started, "…it's like this…"

But before the panda could relate their current dilemma, someone else came up behind and next to Crane. She was a mountain cat wearing a green vest and similarly colored trousers. She was also rubbing her eyes as though she had just woken up as Crane had.

"Xin," she said, "What's going on? Who are you talking to?" She said in a groggy tone.

For several long seconds, no one said a word, caught totally off guard at their newest guest. Then Mantis, no surprise, broke the silence.

"Wow Crane… I didn't think you had it in you."

"Mantis!" Viper exclaimed and tried to swat him with the tip of her tail, but was unable to because the insect jumped from Monkey's shoulder up to Po's and hid behind his black neck.

As Crane brought a talon up to his face, Mantis then replied, "Oh come on, I'm just saying what you're all thinking. Can't blame a guy for that."

But before anyone could argue any more with the perverted words of Mantis, Tigress quickly snatched him and placed him in a small jar. And after putting the lid on it she walked over to the window, opened it, and threw the jar containing Mantis down to a large cart full of hay.

Walking calmly back over to the stunned group, she then said, "Okay, anyway…" Tigress looked over at the mountain cat, "…you must be Master Mountain Cat."

"Yes, I am, but I'm perfectly fine with 'Mei Ling'… or 'Mei'; whatever floats your boat." Mei shrugged, and then continued, "And you must be the Furious Five; Xin has told me so much about you-"

She was cut off when Po shoved Monkey and Tigress out of his way in a frantic hurry, grabbed Mei's paw with both of his, and spoke so fast that he nearly ran out of air as he heavily shook her paw.

"Oh dear gods! Master Mountain Cat! I've read about all of your biggest fights! Is it really true that you went fishing on the moon?"

For several moments, Mei Ling stared at Po with a surprised yet amused look on her face, then turned to Crane.

"Good lord Xin; he's _exactly _how you told me he'd be! Not to mention he greeted me the way you told me he would." She then turned back to the panda, who finally let go of her paw. "And you must Po Ping, the Dragon Warrior; it's an honor to meet you." She said with a sweet smile.

Po, being the goofy-kid at heart kind of guy that they all love about, immediately dropped his fan boy attitude and started blushing and speaking incoherently. Viper could only smirk at the scene; yet another part of her was relieved when she even saw Crane give a small smile and shake his head slightly at the sight. _Glad to see that there won't be any jealousy coming out of all this. Po is a __**guy**__ after all._

Once introductions were out of the way, Crane then changed the topic; "As for why she was in my room to begin with, we didn't realize how late it was when the fireworks ended and the inn and hotel owners had to have gone to sleep for the night so… I felt obligated to let her sleep in my room for the night. She took the bed; I don't sleep on it anyway."

Then Monkey asked the question almost everyone has been dying to ask, "So did you two… you know… _kiss _last night?"

Crane went wide eyed and was about to answer when Mei Ling stepped up and said plainly, "Yes, but only on his cheek." Despite the answer, Viper could sense a bit of nervousness in her voice. _Okay, there is DEFINETLY more to this. Looks like I'm gonna have to do some serious prodding once our current crisis is over._

Tigress then spoke up, "Okay, I think that's enough gossip for a while. Crane, we can't find Master Shifu anywhere, would you have any idea where he could be? Because none of us remember anything from the other night."

Crane said that he and Mei Ling haven't seen Shifu at all either, and that they came in through his room's balcony so if he was in their suite by the time they came back, they still would not have seen him or the others whenever they got back from… whatever it was they were up to. _Ugh, do I even WANT to know what we did last night?_

After sending Po down to the streets to retrieve Mantis from the hay cart, everyone gathered in the living room and began discussing how to learn of the past evening's events.

"Alright, let's start with the basics;" Crane said, "You guys are absolutely certain that you don't remember a thing after drinking your sake?"

Everyone shook their heads, then Viper responded, "No; after our drinks on the roof… nothing. We can't bring anything back up. This is so confusing."

As they continued to try to discern what happened to them, Po and Mantis finally returned to their suite.

"Mantis, I really hate to be the one that says this, but you kinda had that coming." Po said as he walked through the front door.

Mantis, riding on Po's shoulder, responded; "Oh come on tough guy, you know I'm the kind of guy who loves making people cringe. Though I gotta tell you, it was so disorienting for everything go from all black to all tan."

"Yeah, well… the next time you decide to make 'people cringe' may turn out to be your biggest mistake yet." Po responded as he took a seat with the others. "So, any leads yet guys?" Everyone again shook their heads.

Then Viper had a sudden brain-storm; "Po, Tigress, Monkey; empty your pockets. Maybe there's a clue that'll help us."

The three warriors thought about it for a second, then realized that she was onto something and did as she told. Po's pockets turned up nothing while Tigress only had some loose coins in hers. Monkey's on the other hand turned out to be a key.

"Where does this key go to?" Monkey asked.

Tigress then stood up, took the three earrings out of her ear –something that made everyone cringe at- and then proclaimed, "There's only one way to find out. Everyone, we're going hitting the town… again."

Everyone agreed with her, and after Po washed the black ink off of his stomach, he mentioned that their first stop should involve finding out just who this "Tzu" was. But Mei Ling of all people had the biggest suggestion as to who that may have been.

"When Crane and I left the _New Moon _last night," she said, "We passed by a pub simply called _Tzu's Pub_. We heard quite a bit of commotion in there. Sounded like whoever was in there was having a ball. It's only a couple buildings away from the tea shop."

Once they left the hotel and went into the streets, the seven masters couldn't help but wonder just what it was they had to have been up to at _Tzu's Pub_. If there was as much commotion as how Mei Ling said there was, they most likely were not going to like whatever it was the bartender of the place had to say about it.

After a five-minute walk, the gang finally reached the pub. They realized they were definitely in the right place when they saw the sign hanging above the door. "Tzu" followed by a character that when closely inspected, matched the smudged out character that was once written on Po's belly. Bracing for the worst, Viper (and she assumed the others) reminded herself to try to take whatever they find out in stride; and then walked in.

* * *

><p>About thirty minutes later, the door opened and out came the seven masters again. Only two of them, however, seemed relatively relaxed and otherwise had neutral expressions on their faces as they both glanced over at the other five. The five poor souls on the other hand all had a mix of terror, shock, and disbelief; all this based on what they had just learned from the bartender from within <em>Tzu's Pub<em>.

Apparently, shortly after gazing at the fireworks, the roof gang decided to head on down to the pub for some more drinks and fun. But -due to seemingly being not who they were the other night- Po, Shifu, Monkey, and even Tigress all decided to have a drinking game to up the ante. It was unclear just what exact kind of game they played, but it really didn't matter. All they knew was that it served to get them all even more wasted, and Tigress passed out for a short time after only two bottles of rice wine. And the loser had to get their ear pierced, explaining the stripped feline's body jewelry.

But the worst of their antics came from the reptile and the insect. From what the bartender told them –and they had to remind themselves that they were completely wasted at the time- Viper felt so bad for Tigress losing the drinking game and having to get her ear pierced that she wrapped herself around the tiger in an embrace… and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek, telling her it's going to be alright.

Mantis meanwhile was totally off his knocker, and had trouble telling who was who. Which led him to try to hit on what looked like a female mantis to him… only to turn out to be a male frog.

After the initial shock of learning their activities, they asked the bartender if he knew where they went after their time at the pub. He said that they then decided to head over to the nearby bridge. Why they went over to the bridge, he didn't know. But as long as it led to more clues as to where their master was…

Yet as Crane and Mei Ling walked slowly behind the others –who were too stunned, confused, and downright frightened to speak to each other-, they could clearly tell that they were NOT going to like explaining all of this to Shifu whenever they did find him.

"Xin…" Mei Ling whispered over to the bird, "I hope you don't mind me saying that you've made some… _interesting _friends since we last saw each other."

Crane could only duck behind his hat and mutter out, "You have NO idea."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry this chapter took longer than expected! I kept running into small writers blocks on how to write some of the scenes.**

**The Dragon Warrior Dumpling Challenge came to me when me and my brother went to Buffalo Wild Wings one night and saw that wall dedicated to the Blazing Wing Challenge winners.**

**EDIT: Forgot to mention that Tigress' line involving Mantis' life having a face is a reference to one of my favorite lines from Kim Pine of the Scott Pilgrim series.  
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**And if you want to know just how Mei Ling wound up in Crane's room, go read my recent one shot "By Your Side."**

**Next time, you'll see what the gang find's over at the bridge. Hint: Think That 70's Show. And the gang will eventually find Shifu in the most unlikely of places. Finally, there will be an interesting development for their life at the Jade Palace.**

**Review Please!**


	6. Down the Hatch Part 3

**A/N: Sorry again about the delay. I found that the hardest part to writing stories is the beginning. Even if I have everything written down on a draft and you have it all planned out in your head, I still can't quite get past the first hurdle. But after that it's smooth sailing. Don't any of you feel the same way?**

**Aftermath**

DOWN THE HATCH!

PART THREE OF THREE

It was needless to say that four of the members of the Furious Five and the Dragon Warrior were a bit… flustered… over what they had learned only a few minutes prior to arriving at the bridge. Learning that they not only had a wild and crazy drinking game at _Tzu's Pub_ was one thing; but then came the events that then must never be named by anyone. This was strongly evidenced by Viper and Tigress maintaining as much distance from each other as possible, as well as Mantis with the other male members of the Five.

In other words, they were REALLY not looking forward to whatever it was they would find at the bridge the bartender mentioned, even if they had to if they were to ever find wherever Shifu was.

After about three minutes of walking and mental preparation, the seven masters finally arrived at the bridge. The gang spent another minute searching every inch of the bridge for anything out of the ordinary, but all that turned up was a lot of stone and wood. That is, until Po made the discovery everyone was anxious about.

"Hey guys," he called out, "there's a path that leads underneath the bridge."

Everyone else gathered around the panda to see what he meant, and indeed there was a small dirt path leading down a small hill. They followed the path until they found a small red box lying against the wall of the stone structure. On the front of it was a key-hole, which made Monkey pull out the key he found in his pocket earlier that morning.

Slowly, however, pieces started to come together, and they all came to a horrifying conclusion…

"SHIFU!" Everyone cried.

The group sans Crane and Mei Ling –both looking even more confused than before- rushed over to the box where Monkey frantically got the key into the hole. Finally, the key went in, it was turned, the box was opened to reveal…

…several leaves, herbs, and what looked like a makeshift pipe.

"What in the world is this?" Tigress asked. The others shrugged.

Viper then spoke, "Looks like whoever left this down here originally must have been some kind of smuggler. And if we found it last night when we were out of our minds…"

Before any of them realized it, memories came flooding back to them. Now they remembered what they used the leaves for…

* * *

><p><strong>(AN: Okay, remember when I said "Think That 70's Show" in my last update? Imagine the group in "The Circle" here. XD)**

_The Dragon Warrior, four of the Five, and their master all sat around in a circle. They had all stumbled their way from Tzu's Pub all the way to a bridge where they eventually found a box with various leaves and herbs. Being as drunk as they were, they decided to see what they did. After… testing… the contents of the box, it seemed that they had two effects so far. One was that it temporarily lifted their drunken nature. The other…_

"_Oh man…" Po said, his eyes unfocused and glossy, "…I can't believe we found this stuff. I'm seeing things I never thought I see. It's also freeing me up to do my own thing."_

_Viper gave a short but loud laugh, "You said… 'do your own thing'!" She laughed some more._

_Monkey meanwhile held a small bag as he looked at a salted cracker in wonder. "I like salt now. I know I like sweet too, but there's just something about salt…" Monkey then began to eat away at his crackers as everyone else talked around him._

"_Hey guys," Mantis then spoke, "I've heard that there's some people who fast. Don't you see what that means? Their minds are so advanced they can actually think themselves to death! Isn't that messed up? !"_

_Tigress responded, "Everyone, I have something to say…" a short pause, then she looked down at her own paws in absolute awe and disbelief. "…oh. My. Gods. My paws are HUGE! Seriously, have any of you seen these things? ! I swear, they could very well be furry gauntlets!"_

_Everyone looked at her in stupefaction, the Po said, "So, no more for Tigress, she's pretty toasted." He then looked over to the only silent member of the group, "How about you Shifu? How are you holding up?"_

_Everyone looked over at their master. He simply stared at them with a content smile on his face. Then he held up a small can that read 'Cake Frosting'._

"_I'm telling you…" Shifu said, "…this stuff isn't just for cakes; it's great all by itself!" The stoned red panda then scooped some out with his finger and ate some of the frosting. Shifu then held up his hands as to gain everyone's attention, "Wait, watch this…"_

_Before anyone could say anything else, Shifu then took a_ _whole handful of cake frosting and slapped it on top of his forehead. There was another pause before again spoke._

"_Look at me. I'm 'Frosting Head'."_

_The five students could only stare at him for another couple of moments before they all went into a laughing and giggling frenzy._

* * *

><p>Finally snapping out of their joint trip down memory lane, the five masters who've taken part of their… experiment… all groaned.<p>

"Dear gods in heaven…" Tigress muttered as she buried her face in her right palm.

Mei Ling walked up to the group followed by Crane. The mountain cat then asked; "Can I ask you all a question? Was this the first time you ever had any sake? Because I heard it's a pretty potent drink; especially to first timers."

Everyone slowly glanced over at Mei Ling, then all glared at Mantis. The insect held up his pincers and spoke in a defensive tone. "Hey, don't look at me. It was my first time with sake too. The guy I bought it from told me that it was a popular drink in Japan, he never said anything on how much it would knock someone on their ass."

Po sighed and sat down as he then said, "It doesn't matter. We still don't know where Shifu is. And I think we've just hit a dead end guys." Everyone was silent for several long moments as they all took in the panda's words. Then it was Monkey of all people who had a sudden brain-storm.

"Wait a second, didn't Shifu mention that he did this back when he was younger?" Monkey asked. The others heads suddenly perked up at this revelation.

Crane asked, "Wait, what do you mean?"

Viper explained, "Last night, Shifu mentioned that he, Hao, and the other students they trained with did rooftop drinking. That has to mean that Shifu would know what to do whenever he would wind up drunk!" She paused, "However rare that might be…"

"Let's break it down;" Tigress said, "When we woke up, we were all blinded by the light, and loud noises made our headaches far worse. So… where in the suite would be a good place to get away from any noise or light…?"

For a couple moments, everyone thought about it, then it came to them as they all exclaimed in unison.

"THE CLOSET!"

With that, the seven masters rushed back to the hotel. After sprinting back up the stairs and bursting open the door to their suite, they made their way to the closet; opened the door…

…and saw Shifu, the Grand Master of the Jade Palace, lying on the floor using a pile of sheets as a makeshift pillow.

Everyone gave a massive sigh of relief. This of course woke up their master; the students braced for the worst, but then received another unexpected surprise. Shifu yawned and showed no signs of a hangover. Of course, he must have slept right through it. The red panda then turned to the others.

"Ah, good morning everyone. I certainly hope you all enjoyed your day so far."

The five who were with Shifu the previous night gave a sheepish glance at each other, then turned back at their master.

"Uhm… yes, we did master…" Tigress said.

Shifu sat up, straightened out his robe, and cleared his throat. "I can't seem to remember what exactly happened last night however… but I think it's for the best that it stays that way." He then finally noticed the one additional person in the room. "And you must be Master Mountain Cat." He said to Mei Ling.

Mei Ling gave a proper salute; "Grand Master Shifu, it's an honor."

The red panda returned the salute, then continued to speak; "I certainly hope you and Crane had a pleasant time with each other yesterday. And I see you've already made yourself quite acquainted with the others."

"Indeed I have Grand Master." Mei Ling replied while doing her best to hide an incredibly amused smile. After a short pause, she then asked; "May I request a private conversation with you. There's something I've been thinking about all day and I need to discuss it with you."

Shifu nodded and motioned her to follow him out to the patio to have their private talk. The students of the Jade Palace were left to their own devices. Tigress went to her room to examine her ear that had the earrings in it; she was most likely going to remove them and make sure that no one ever speaks of her overnight body jewelry to anyone at the Valley of Peace when they return. Mantis and Monkey went over to one of the couches to discuss more on the bizarre herbs they came across overnight.

Crane meanwhile remained where he stood, staring at Mei Ling in wonder. What was it she wanted to discuss with Shifu in private?

It was then however that he noticed that Po and Viper had approached him, both looking like they have a ton of questions involving him and his mountain cat companion. He knew this was bound to happen sooner or later, but he was glad it would be two people who wouldn't rip on him or tease him about it, unlike the two other members of the Five sitting on the couch.

Po was the first to speak. "You know, Crane, I couldn't help but think that there's a lot more going on than what you let on earlier. You definitely seem a lot more relaxed now."

Crane sighed and replied; "I'll admit it, you're right. Something did…happen… between us yesterday. I mean, it's been about fifteen years since I've last seen her." He looked back over at the green-clad feline. "Please forgive me for how corny this is going to sound, but I just can't help it. Mei Ling is the reason I'm who I am today. She gave me the confidence I needed back at Li Dai. Not to mention that she's incredibly skilled, incredibly polite, and is someone you can talk to for hours. And yes… she is incredibly beautiful; not just for her species, but for any woman. Uh… no offense to you of course, Viper."

Viper didn't take any offense to what her avian friend said; "Don't worry about it Crane, I know you would never mean it that way."

Taking another longing glance over at Mei Ling, Crane smiled and finally said after a long pause. "I love her."

"Aw! That's so sweet!" Viper said with glee in her voice.

Po nodded, and then asked, "That's great man. But aren't you worried about how a long distance relationship would work out?"

Crane sighed, and replied; "I'm not too worried, between me and Mei, I'm sure the two of us can work something out." But before he could elaborate on any possible theories he had, Shifu and Mei Ling came back from the patio and called everyone else over.

"Everyone, there's something we'd like to share with you." Shifu said, getting everyone's attention. "I've just had an interesting word with Mei Ling, and she certainly had quite an adventure with you all today." He said with a satisfied smirk. Everyone groaned as they remember what they had to endure for the day.

Shifu then continued, "She has also asked for something else. Something I'm certain that you will all agree to." He paused, then said; "Master Mountain Cat has asked to return to the Valley of Peace and the Jade Palace with us."

Everyone was surprised by his proclamation, Crane's without a doubt showing the biggest surprised look of all.

Mei Ling explained, "Yeah… I've spent the last fifteen years exploring China. I figured it's time I set my feet down somewhere. And I couldn't think of a better place than the Jade Palace."

Shifu nodded then turned his attention back to his students; "But of course I'll need to hear all of your opinion on this matter. If you have any thoughts or concerns about this development, please speak now."

As they all soon found out, no one had any objection to Mei Ling moving in to the Jade Palace. Po was the first to speak up; "Oh man… this is going to be totally awesome! Just wait until you meet my dad back home! I'll be sure to have him help me whip up some of our soup for you!"

Mei Ling smiled and replied, "Thank you, Dragon Warrior. I'm sure your cuisine will be quite breath-taking." She then turned her attention to Monkey and Mantis. "And I understand that you two can be quite the pranksters."

Mantis replied, "Well… Monkey does most of the work…" he received a glare from his simian friend, "But I do offer moral support!"

"Excuse me?" Monkey spoke at the insect, "Was it your moral support that had me running for my life when we replaced Viper's make-up kit with house paint and sugar?"

"I still haven't gotten over that yet! Gods, you two are such kids sometimes!" Viper yelled at them; then returning to her sweet nature as she spoke to Mei Ling. "I on the other hand simply can't wait to have some girl time when we get home. Don't get me wrong, Tigress is great to hang out with, but it'll be great to talk to someone who doesn't wish they were somewhere else at the moment…" she finished as she shot a playful glance at the tiger master, who rolled her eyes in light annoyance.

Mei Ling giggled. "Well, looks like we'll have to set something up between the two of us then!"

Tigress finally spoke with a devilish grin, "I'm just glad we ladies will finally be able to even the odds a little…" This caused all the males save Shifu to groan.

At long last, Mei Ling turned to Crane. "And last… but _far _from least…" she said softly as she walked over to the bird. "Oh and by the way, I've been training on hearing everything around me. And by that, I mean _**everything**_…" Crane was still stunned speechless… she must have heard everything he said to Viper and Po…which meant he was once again back to stuttering over his words.

"I-I don't k-kn-now what to s-say- I-I mean" he said with an incredibly sheepish smile and his face so red he may as well have changed the color of his feathered face. He stopped once Mei Ling gave a quick peck on the tip of his bill.

"Then don't say anything Xin. Just enjoy it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: At last! I'm finally done with this arc! I'm so sorry for taking so long with this one. I had so many distractions to blame for this one. Work, laziness, brief lack of inspiration.**

**NEXT TIME ON AFTERMATH: The time has finally come for the warriors of the Jade Palace, old and new, to leave Gongmen City and return to the Valley of Peace. They will say goodbye to many of the people they have met during their latest adventure. 'Nuff said.**

**REVIEW NOW!**


	7. A Fond Farewell

**AFTERMATH**

A FOND FAREWELL

**A/N: Reason for the long delay: Personal problems, life getting busy…**

**DISCLAIMER: FOR THE LAST FREAKING TIME… I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING CANON ABOUT THE KFP SERIES. ALL I OWN IS THIS STORY AND MY OCs.**

About twenty-four hours after the end of their recent mini-adventure through Gongmen City, the time had finally come for the warriors of the Jade Palace and their master to return to the Valley of Peace. Po, the Five, Grand Master Shifu, and their latest addition Mei Ling had already had their belongings packed up and ready for departure. They had been given a boat for their journey down the long and expansive river, albeit slightly larger than their last boat to accommodate for their increased number of travelers.

But before any of them could set off into the sunset –figuratively speaking of course- they still had some loose ends to tie up with many of the faces they ran into during their latest and quite possibly most daring adventure yet. It was at that point shortly after the memorial ceremony that was held for the late Master Thundering Rhino. His signature weapon, the Cloud Hammer, was removed from the courtyard and placed properly on a stand near the monument that was made to remember Thundering Rhino and his great contributions to Gongmen City, the Kung Fu Council, Kung Fu as a whole, and China.

Within the courtyard of what was once the crown jewel of Gongmen City, the Tower of Sacred Flame, the warriors of the Jade Palace were taking their time to say their goodbyes to several of the people they've met during their time in the city.

Shifu was having one last private conversation with his long- time friend and ex-fellow student, General Hao. Po could easily tell that just having that kind of conversation alone was something they both missed, and the giant panda knew that the stories of the red panda's and the lion's exploits and times in their younger years was something he was going to have to talk to his master about when they returned to the Palace.

Monkey, Viper, Mantis, and Mei Ling meanwhile were shooting the breeze with the young snow leopard cadet, Xiao Chang. Unlike the last time they met the recruit, Chang seemed a lot more relaxed and at ease with speaking with the warriors. Apparently, both spending time with the Kung Fu masters and seeing Hao put his subordinate Feng in his place had helped put some level of confidence and back bone into the kid.

And finally; Po, Crane, and Tigress, were having one last word with Masters Croc and Storming Ox. Both members of the Kung Fu Council were unsurprisingly very close to the late rhino and looked up to him as their leader. So it was expected that they would look the most saddened during the memorial ceremony.

_At least now they can have some more closure with someone they cared about being gone now. _Po thought to himself; then as he remembered the memorial service he held for his murdered parents several days ago; _I certainly know how that feels…_

Storming Ox was the first to speak, "Well… as hard as losing Thundering Rhino was to us, we must still find the resolve to carry on. It's what he would want us to do." After taking another deep breath, he then switched topics. "So, how long do you think your return journey will take?"

"We're not sure;" Tigress answered, "Our journey coming here took us about four days; most of it on foot. But we were going at a fast pace to confront Shen and his army. With him no longer a threat, things may seem more relaxed going back." She paused, then added; "Also, some of us aren't fully healed yet from that final battle. So my best guess would have to be… about a week."

After another brief pause, Crane then added; "Besides, it'll give us a chance to take in the sights we were too busy at the time to take notice of."

Croc turned towards the avian master and told him, as well as Po and Tigress; "Just be sure to avoid the southern-most river. It's loaded with thugs looking for ships to pillage. Trust me; it's something I know from my old days." He was referring of course to his former life as a bandit before Thundering Rhino gave him the opportunity to turn his life around for the better.

Po however had one last question to ask to the horned master. "Can I ask you something that may sound totally bizarre to you?" Storming Ox nodded and allowed the panda to proceed. "Let's just say hypothetically… you were _not _a Kung Fu warrior. What would you see yourself doing in that case? I'm just curious."

The oxen master thought about his question for a couple of second before responding. "I honestly don't know. Although I admit that I have on occasion toyed around with the idea of selling insurance."

"Insurance?" Crane asked.

Storming Ox added, "Rickshaw crash insurance to be exact."

Po, Tigress, Crane, and even Croc all looked at the ox in bemusement. Master Storming Ox, member of the Kung Fu Council, having a second job as an _insurance salesman_?

"What?" Storming Ox asked, "People could get seriously hurt whenever they crash a rickshaw. I just think it's only fair that they're covered for whenever that happens."

**(A/N: Yes, that was a reference to the Storming Ox's VO, Dennis Haysbert, being the spokesman of a certain car insuracne company. XD)**

After another couple of seconds of awkward silence, Croc finally spoke. "Wow, after all the years I've known you, after every battle we've fought in, I would have never expected something like this from you."

"Really?" Storming Ox responded, "Everyone has their own little secrets they like to keep from even their comrades. Like you and your collection of clothing buttons?"

Croc then, in an unexpected twist, snapped in an apprehensive tone; "You swore you would never-!" He caught himself shouting louder than he should have, then continued in a quieter yet stern tone; "I'll let you know that it's a perfectly normal hobby."

As the two members of the Council continued to argue like an old married couple, Po couldn't help but revel in this newfound discovery. Apparently they're known to have these friendly, teasing arguments with each other as much as he and the other members of the Five would on occasion. _Sounds a bit similar to me and Monkey's score-keeping. Oh man, I gotta be miles ahead of him by now! _**(A/N: This is a reference to the sneak peek episode of the upcoming TV series for KFP; which actually looks a lot better than I thought it was going to be!)**

By then, Shifu and Hao had walked over to the group, having overheard the reptile and oxen's banter with each other.

"What's gotten into those two all of the sudden?" The lion general asked.

Tigress answered, "Oh nothing; just two fully grown men bickering over the meaningless of hobbies." She then turned her attention to the red panda. "What were you and General Hao discussing, Master?"

"Hao and I have been talking about something rather serious that has happened over in the Imperial City during the crisis in Gongmen City. Did you ever stop to think just why it took so long for the Emperor to realize there's something wrong in the city?" Shifu asked. The bear, feline, and avian all glanced at each other, not knowing what they were going to explain to them. They certainly knew that it had nothing to do with the distance between the two cities.

General Hao began his explanation, "You three are going to find this hard to believe, but apparently Lord Shen had managed to insert a double agent within the Imperial Courts." Several seconds of stunned silenced followed, which involved Croc and Storming Ox to cut their argument short and walked over to listen in; and then the lion continued. "It seems that the agent had been working undercover for Shen for quite some time. We're not exactly sure how long, we're still investigating. Our best guess is that he fed the Emperor false information on the events revolving Gongmen City or anywhere else the peacock went during his exile."

Crane gave a thesis on the military leader's report, "Do you think the agent also had orders to assassinate the Emperor when Shen would begin his invasion?"

"It's highly possible…" Hao said with a small shudder in his voice before he recomposed himself; "But in the end, he was compromised and we learned at last of what was happening here. In fact, Cadet Xiao Chang had something to do with unmasking the agent."

Po and Crane's mouths gaped at that revelation while Tigress' eyes grew slightly larger.

"The kid?" Po asked unbelievably, "He took down the agent?"

Hao shook his head, "Well… not exactly. Why don't we hear this from him?" The three masters nodded as General Hao called over to the young snow leopard, "Cadet Chang! Front and center!"

The snow leopard jumped at the sudden order, but quickly made his way over to the group with Viper, Mantis, Monkey, and Mei Ling following close behind.

"Yes sir?" The cadet asked as he stood in attention.

Hao started with, "At ease;" and after the leopard did so, "I'd like you to relate to Grand Master Shifu and his students your account of the double agent we caught in the Imperial City. And I'm willing to dismiss formalities for this one."

For his part, Chang looked rather confused at the lion's order. He then cleared his face and began to tell his story.

"Well… my partner and I were simply walking back to the barracks for the evening when we caught him wandering around them. We didn't know why a politician would be hanging out near the soldiers' barracks, so we followed him and called him to us. We asked what he was doing over there, then he just had this… shocked look on his face and he just ran for it."

Chang placed a paw on the back of his head as he continued, "We chased after him, we didn't know what else to do. Several of the other soldiers heard the commotion and followed us as well. We kept calling him to stop and why he was running, but he just kept going. Then we eventually cornered him…"

He gulped as he concluded, "…and then, he pulled out a dagger… and he slit his own throat." After one last pause, "It was… not a pretty sight… to say the least."

General Hao then spoke, "After that incident, they reported this to me and I in turn told the Emperor what had happened. He ordered a full investigation behind this. I had some of my men search the politician's office for anything; they eventually found a letter from Lord Shen himself, detailing his plans for his conquest of China. Normally someone working undercover would destroy anything that will lead them back to their superior; fortunately, he got sloppy. It was all the Emperor needed to send me and my regiment to Gongmen City."

After taking several long seconds to digest everything the lion and the snow leopard had explained, Mei Ling then asked; "Wait a minute… if Chang, if indivertibly, found out that the politician was a spy working for someone plotting to overthrow the Dynasty, why is the kid getting picked on by some of the other soldiers?"

"Yeah;" Mantis agreed, "Frankly, the kid deserves a medal!"

Hao sighed and answered, "Well… there were two reasons for this. The first is that the Emperor had ordered any news of a double agent inside the Imperial Courts to remain silent. If there were any other spies within the Imperial City, they wouldn't be alarmed by one of their own becoming compromised. The second reason is that Chang's partner is also Captain Feng's son, and he tried to take full credit for discovering the agent. Several of the other soldiers disagreed, and I clearly wasn't a big fan for someone trying to use this deception to boast one's ego. They had it out for young Chang ever since."

Hao noticed that Chang had a shy look on his face as he turned away from the others, prompting the lion to place a comforting paw on his shoulder; "But between all of you and me… this soldier may as well be the reason the Emperor is still alive today, and is another hero of saving China from Shen."

The snow leopard perked up and finally gave a big, if embarrassed, smile. "Th-thank you sir!"

After that proclamation, two new figures approached the group. Po and the others turned and saw that it was the Soothsayer accompanied by a female sheep. The panda immediately recognized the sheep.

"Lin! I was hoping I'd get to talk to you before we left!" **(A/N: Read "Delivering Hope" to get the full story on who Lin is and how Po knows her.)**

The sheep smiled and responded, "Hello again, Dragon Warrior. The Soothsayer agreed to let me speak with you one last time. I can't thank you enough for… well, everything you and your friends have done for us."

Po smiled back, "You're quite welcome; and thank you for helping me out several days ago." Yet when the panda looked at everyone else, they naturally looked confused at the discussion.

"Po, what are you two talking about? Who is Lin?" Viper asked.

Po looked at the Five and pointed them to the sheep, who gave a simple small wave. "Look at her. Doesn't she look like someone familiar? Someone we saved when we first went to Gongmen Jail?"

Monkey was the first to answer him, "Oh wait a minute!" He then looked at Lin, "You're that rice cook that one wolf was harassing."

The rest of the Five exchange varied agreements and realizations; with Mei Ling telling Crane, "He's right Xin, you mentioned to me that you guys helped a rice cook during your first day here in the city."

"Wait; Po, what did you mean that she helped you several days ago?" Shifu asked.

The giant panda proceeded to explain to everyone else what had happened after he left the former panda village; how he snuck into the city, as well as how Lin helped provide a unique distraction allowing Po to reach the harbor. Everyone was both speechless and absolutely impressed with what the sheep did voluntarily.

Tigress walked over to Lin and told her, "It takes a lot of bravery for you to do what you did."

"First Cadet Chang and now you, Lin? It's like we're having a massive gathering of people who helped save China here." Croc added.

Everyone gave their thanks to the sheep rice chef, whom was only too modest and shy to receive so much praise from honored kung fu masters and a leading general of the Imperial Army.

"Well, we have to get going soon;" Po said to her, "Here's hoping your rice business gets back to its awesome status. And heck, if you ever feel like visiting the Valley of Peace sometime, there's this noodle chef I'm sure you'd love to meet."

Lin nodded and bowed to the panda, "Thank you Dragon Warrior, and I'll keep that in mind the next time I decide to go on a vacation." And with that, she bowed to the other masters and left for home.

**(A/N: Please bear with me on this next conversation. I may not be the best when it comes to writing lines for the Soothsayer. XP**)

Po had at last turned to the Soothsayer and began to speak with her. "Ma'am… I can't thank you enough for not just healing me back at the panda village, but for-"

"Helping you find Inner Peace?" The Soothsayer finished, as though she already knew what the bear was going to say; "Nonsense; you found your Inner Peace on your own."

Po replied, "Yeah… well I guess I just needed a little push in the right direction." After a pause Po then added, "By the way I'm… really sorry about what happened to Lord Shen. I learned from Storming Ox and Croc about how you were pretty much his nanny when he was a kid. Despite everything he's done and tried to do, I'm still so sorry about what had happened out in the harbor."

The Soothsayer for her part took a long, deep sigh and responded, "There's no need for an apology Dragon Warrior. Shen chose his dark path and it cost him his life. I just hope that he finds peace in the afterlife."

Po noticed that Shifu had nodded to her statement. Surely, during his discussions with the goat fortune teller he must have related what happened to Shen and her history with the peacock to his own history with his adoptive son, Tai Lung, as well as his own history with the now ex-snow leaopard.

The panda turned back to the Soothsayer; "Well, either way, I hope we can meet each other again someday. I personally would prefer it to be under more… upbeat than the first time."

The goat finally smiled and replied, "Indeed Po Ping. I wish you and all of your companions a safe journey home." She then turned to Mei Ling and Crane, "And I can also see that the two of you will have many years of happiness together."

Mei Ling gave a soft smirk as she wrapped an arm around the bird's shoulders. "I have absolutely no doubt about that ma'am." This naturally caused Crane to once again turn red at the face.

"Crane," Monkey playfully deadpanned, "If you keep changing color like this, one of these days someone is going to mistake you for a chameleon."

Mantis gave a short laugh, "Nice one man!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ugh, finally done with this one! I am SO SORRY to all of you who have waited patiently (or not) for this next update. Like I said, life got really busy. Personal problems mostly. But now I'm back on track. And I promise I'll do everything I can to get the next chapter out faster than this one.**

**NEXT TIME ON AFTERMATH: During the boat ride on the river heading for home, Po and Tigress spend some time exploring their newfound common ground. Afterwards, they both try to convince Crane to go fishing; with embarrassment ensuing.**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


	8. Family and Fish

**AFTERMATH**

FAMILY AND FISH

**DISCLAIMER: FOR THE LOVE OF OREOS AND KITTENS… I DO NOT OWN KFP! AND I'D BE HAPPY TO EXPLAIN THE EXCUSE FOR THE DELAY THIS TIME AFTER THE STORY**

_Within the depths of Shen's factory, she and the rest of the Five raced as fast as they could to Po's position. Tigress wanted to ask herself, 'Why couldn't he just listen to me?' or 'He honestly expects Shen to just *tell* him what happened to his parents?'_

_But deep down, Tigress knew both answers… because she may as well have been looking into the past three years ago… at something she did…_

_Looking ahead, there was that damned peacock, stalking the panda; and approaching her and the others was another big group of his wolf henchmen._

"_We got these guys! Go!" Tigress heard Mantis yell. The feline leapt over the hostile canines and onto the next platform and easily dispatched two other wolves ready to attack her. That was, unfortunately, when one of the massive gorillas of Shen's army jumped down to confront her._

_*"Dammit, I don't have time for this!"* She thought to herself as she snarled at the large primate. What these gorilla fighters lacked in kung fu skill and overall intelligence was easily compensated with their massive strength and size. Tigress dodged the brute's giant fist and landed a solid kick to the side of his head. Just as she did this however, three more wolves joined the fray. Under normal circumstances, this would be a cakewalk for someone as experienced as the unofficial leader of the Furious Five; but between this and desperately trying to catch up to the panda foolishly fighting Lord Shen on his own, Tigress for once in her life had her paws full._

_In between fighting off the four adversaries, she finally noticed that two other wolves had tackled Po to the deck further away from her._

"_Po!" She cried out as she kicked one of the wolves she was fighting over to the two that had tackled the bear. The first wolf hit dead on to the other two, sending all three of them down to the ground. It was at that point that Po glanced over at where the third wolf had come from. For a brief moment Tigress could've sworn… no, KNEW that Po had to have seen her trying to get to him. But that didn't stop him from trying to reach Shen. Was he really that desperate to learn what happened to his parents?_

"_Po, get away from him!" Tigress cried out once more as the gorilla grabbed her from behind. Tigress found to her surprise that the giant ape had managed to get a good grip on her. As the feline struggled to break free of his grip, she could hear the inevitable exchange of words between the panda and the deranged peacock._

"_No more running Shen!" She first heard Po yelled._

_Shen replied matter-of-factly; "So it seems…"_

_Po then continued in a tone Tigress never thought he would be capable of, "I want answers… NOW!"_

_*No…* she thought to herself as she continued to struggle free from the ape's grasp; *…not again. Not like me and him at the Thread of Hope…*_

_But it was what Shen said next that only sealed what Tigress was trying so hard to have Po avoid in all of this._

_"Oh, you want to know so badly. You think knowing will heal you, eh? Fill some... crater in your soul? Well, here's your answer: Your parents __**didn't **__love you."_

_While she didn't see it, Tigress could greatly sense the feeling of disbelief and sadness on Po's face as Shen spoke; something that again played out in a scene similar to one she herself had only three years ago. This was the reason why she didn't want Po getting involved in the assault on Shen's factory. Tigress knew that Shen wasn't going to just tell Po the truth about his parents, but instead play mind games with the Dragon Warrior._

_The worst part of it all was that it was both working and that there was now nothing that she could do about it._

"_But here, let me heal you…" Shen finished cryptically as he catapulted himself over and on top of the covered structure he was standing in front of. As the cover fell loose it revealed itself to be…_

…_another cannon. This one was much larger than the other ones that were in mass production. And it was aiming right at Po._

_That sent Tigress into an absolute, panicking frenzy. She was forced to do something that she has sworn to never perform in any battle. And that was to unsheathe her claws in her right paw and slash across the gorilla's face, forcing him to finally let go of her as he grabbed his face in pain. Not caring about the wolves that were closing in behind her. She raced towards Po's position, praying that she would make it in time to shove him out of the way. _

_But Shen's talon scrapped across the fuse…_

_The cannon fired…_

_And Po got blasted right in the chest and was sent flying out of the factory._

"_**NO!"**_

* * *

><p>Tigress bolted awake. Her heart was racing, her breath at a fast rate; as though she had just come out of yet another massive fight.<p>

After several long seconds of this, she finally took the time to examine her surroundings. She was inside a boat cabin, a bit larger than the one she, Po, and the rest of the Five rode to Gongmen City in. Looking around, she saw the other members of the Furious Five, Master Shifu, and Mei Ling all sound asleep; not disturbed by Tigress' sudden awakening. At last she let out a sigh of relief. What the tiger had just experienced was all nothing but a nightmare; albeit a very realistic one.

Seeing that her nightmare was guaranteed to keep her awake for a while if not the rest of the night, Tigress decided some fresh air would remedy that. Getting up, quietly as to not disturb the others from their sleep, the striped feline walked out of the cabin and onto the deck of the boat.

"Come on guys; let's show these losers not to mess with us!" She suddenly heard from further on up on the deck.

Tigress instantly recognized the voice as Po's; which was where she remembered that it was Po's turn to be on night watch. While they heeded Master Croc's warning and avoided the southernmost river which from what he said was filled with pirates and other bandit gangs, one can never be too careful with night-time boat riding.

Walking over to the source of the voice, Tigress saw just what the panda decided to do to pass the time. From behind him, she saw Po with his action figures of himself and the Furious Five squaring off against an armada of apples from some of the crates. It didn't take long for the tiger to figure out that the apples were playing the role of some bandit gang.

**(A/N: You can thank Rick Moranis' character from "Spaceballs" for the inspirationfor the following scene…)**

"At last, we meet Dragon Warrior;" Po acted out, playing the part of the head apple, which apparently had some black string pasted onto its front; giving the impression of an evil moustache. "And I see that you've brought your five little pets with you."

Po then made the figure of Mantis 'speak'; "Did you just call me little? !"

"I hardly believe that six of the greatest warriors in all of China can be counted as just 'pets.'" The figure of Viper then 'spoke'.

The lead apple then gave an evil laugh as he retorted, "Now you will all see that evil will always triumph… because good is dumb."

_Oh dear lord… _Tigress thought to herself.

Before anything else could be said, the army of evil apples and the wooden Kung Fu warriors charged at each other and the battle began. Knowing Po, Tigress figured that the panda would have it all set so that the wooden versions of the Dragon Warrior and the Furious Five would win the day.

And rightfully so, as 'Crane' performed his "Wings of Justice" to knock five evil apples out of the battle; 'Monkey' doing awkwardly off balanced flips and airborne maneuvers to outwit the enemy fruit; and the real Tigress had to admit she was rather humbled by wooden Tigress taking on ten apples at once.

Once the 'battle' was over, the head apple was begging for mercy.

"Wait! I should have never messed with you! Let me live! I'll let you kiss my sister!"

Wooden Dragon Warrior however didn't believe him. After delivering his catchphrase "Skadoosh!" he punted the apple into the river.

Po let out a big cheer and had the wooden versions of his comrades give similar congrats to each other.

"We sure showed them whose boss." Wooden Monkey said.

Wooden Crane then added, "Po, you really gave it to them."

Po pumped his real, furry fist in the air, "Yeah that was awesome! Wasn't it guys?"

"That was quite the spectacle Dragon Warrior." It took Po only a split second to realize that it wasn't the Wooden Tigress speaking.

The panda let out a surprised yelp, and as quick as lightning, Po swept the wooden figures underneath a wooden box and spun around to see Tigress standing there expectedly.

"Jeez Tigress! Don't sneak up on me like that!" After a long pause the embarrassed panda then asked rhetorically, "You didn't see anything. Right?"

Tigress gave a sly smirk as she responded, "No Po; I did not see you playing with your dolls."

Despite everything, Po then had an annoyed look as he grumbled, "They're ACTION FIGURES…"

Tigress for her part then remained silent. Fortunately for her, Po immediately got the message behind the pause in their conversation. He responded after taking a deep breath.

"It's time we had the talk we both knew was going to happen, isn't it?" Po asked.

The tiger nodded as she pulled over another box and used it as a seat while the panda remained where he was. Tigress naturally was the one to get the ball rolling.

"I get it Po. You're not just out here because it's your watch shift… it's something else. Isn't it?"

Po knew exactly what she was referring to. "If by that you mean my parents… then yes. I know I had that memorial ceremony several days ago, and I said to you guys… and I myself that it's behind me. But it looks like believing that is a bit harder than I imagined it would be. Not that I thought it would be easy but… you know…"

"I had to live with that for pretty much my entire life." Tigress responded. Yes, the feeling of losing one's mother and father at a very young age; not knowing much about them; or if they loved them. THAT was why Tigress hugged Po in Gongmen Jail; because she knew EXACTLY what was going through his head when the topic of his biological parents came to light during their mission in Gongmen City.

Looking back at the panda, she continued; "Po, what I'm about to tell you stays between us." Po nodded and allowed her to continue.

"Do you remember that night, when I tried to go after Tai Lung by myself?" The bear again nodded, "I of course did it to try to make Master Shifu proud of me, and protect the Valley…" She took a deep breath, "…but I also had far, _far _more personal reasons for wanting to face him alone. It's because I was so convinced that he was the one who killed my parents."

"What…?" Po asked breathlessly.

Tigress further explained, "About five years after Master Shifu adopted me from the Bao Gu Orphanage, I learned about Tai Lung's rampage in the Valley after being denied the Dragon Scroll. And seeing that my parents were killed in the same week… I foolishly put two and two together."

Tigress then went on about how she intended to fight Tai Lung alone to gain the answers she sought about her family, how after said snow leopard used his signature nerve attack to stun all but Tigress, where she demanded what he knew about her mother and father. Then how Tai Lung taunted her by saying that he enjoyed killing them, something that stunned Tigress long enough for the snow leopard to use his nerve attack on her. Finally, the worst of the whole ordeal, was when Tai Lung bent down and told her that he lied and that he had never met any tiger before in his entire life; all right before he released Crane and instructed him to bring her and the rest of the Five to Shifu and the Dragon Warrior as a message.

There was a very long and uncomfortable pause in her story; until Tigress continued in a quiet tone.

"A week after you defeated Tai Lung, I learned from a survivor of his rampage that my parents weren't killed by his paws…or at least, my father wasn't killed directly by him. I was only an infant when my mother died; she died of a terrible disease shortly after I was born. As for my father, he was helping the injured villagers after the rampage. There was a little girl trapped inside a home, and my father volunteered to go inside and help her. Just as he got to her though, the building they were in began to collapse; he managed to get her out in time… but he couldn't. By the time other people managed to pull the debris off of him, it was already too late."

There was another long pause, the tiger's words sinking in to both the speaker and the listener. Finally, Po spoke.

"Tigress… I'm so sorry. But your father also died a hero. If it wasn't for him, that child would be dead. Sounds like being a hero runs in your family's blood; huh?" He said with a small smirk at his last words.

Tigress gave a small nod before she then said, "Yes, I guess you got a good point there. But that experience I went through was another reason I didn't want you to face Shen at the factory. Not only were you too emotionally attached to everything that was going on, but I didn't want you to make the same damned mistake I made." Yet another pause; "But in the end, I guess it doesn't matter now; Shen is no longer a threat, you discovered your past and came to terms with it."

Po nodded and then spoke, "Yeah, but how about this? From here on out, no more of these kind of secrets between us. Unless of course if they're surprise birthday parties or something as awesome as that…"

Tigress gave a small laugh and agreed to the panda's terms when a third figure came up to them. It was Crane, having just woken up himself.

"Oh, I thought it was my turn to keep watch on the boat after Po." He said looking at Tigress.

The feline responded, "Relax, I just had trouble sleeping so I decided to spend some time with Po."

Po then got up and walked over to Crane, "You know Crane, I think this is the perfect time to for you to give that wing of yours a little exercise; and do your favorite hobby at the same time…" The panda was talking of course about both the bird's injured wing and fishing. While Tigress could clearly see that Crane longed to do both once more, the bird naturally hid this behind a shroud of shyness and uncertainty.

"Uh… I don't know. I don't think my wing's fully healed yet and-"

Crane was cut off by Po when the panda leaned in and said, "Do you really wanna miss out on the chance to impress your girlfriend and bring her something delicious for dinner?"

"Po, you do realize that you'll most likely be the one cooking dinner right?" Crane deadpanned rhetorically.

Po scoffed, "Well, duh. But how else am I gonna cook a fish dinner for everyone without any fish dofus?" Po sighed and added slyly, "Look, I know you and Mei Ling are now together, but think about this for a second, the only way you're gonna seal that connection between the two of you is if you bring her something she'll go gaga over. You might even get to kiss her again…"

Crane only stared at him for a few seconds, then at the speed of lightning flew off towards the water, swooping downward and began collecting as many fish as he could back to the boat.

Feeling victorious, Po walked over to Tigress who had a very quizzical and amused look on her face.

"Sometimes," Po said, "you just gotta know what to say to people to get them to do what you want them to do."

Tigress chuckled, "I'll keep that in mind when we get back to training back at the Palace."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: *Holds baseball bat up protectively* Don't hate me please! I said I'd explain the delay this time!**

**I'm laying this one on laziness, lack of inspiration, my job… oh and catching up on my latest interest that's been sweeping the Internet for the past year that is… My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Seriously. It's an awesome series. I'm proud to call myself a Brony and 20 Percent Cooler.**

**God Bless and Merry Christmas. Happy birthday Jesus!**


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